Christmas C – Christmas Crib booklet

Slovenia – also a land of Christmas cribs

Since the first nativity scene was created by Jesuit monks in Portugal in the second half of the sixteenth century, the art of making Christmas cribs has been developed by self-taught artisans, craftsmen and exponents of various artistic genres. This is also true in Slovenia, where the first Christmas crib is believed to have been created in 1644. Given the considerable diversification present within this particular field of creativity, it is actually possible to differentiate between numerous types of Christmas crib, either with regard to the techniques used to make them or in terms of their artistic and expressive value. One type is the cabinet nativity. As its name suggests, this is a nativity scene placed in a glass-fronted cabinet or display case that could be deeper or shallower, depending on the type. Once the Christmas period is over, the cabinet nativity is simply closed up and put away until the next year. Our stamp shows a cabinet nativity from Šentrupert in the Dolenjska region, a characteristic example of “folk art” or self-taught artistic creativity from the nineteenth century. Above the cabinet, the unknown artist has placed three angels playing a carol in honour of Christ’s birth. In Brezje, in north-west Slovenia, there is even a museum collection dedicated to Christmas cribs.

Janez Bogataj