Sunday, December 17, 2023

The crib and Christmas music # 11



A glorious sunrise on the beach. Dogs, and their owners, are very much in evidence. Cheerful 'Good mornings' punctuate our walk. It's ten degrees which is tropical for these parts. With the students and a good proportion of the teaching staff away the town is very, very quiet. Parking is easy and its possible to book a late table in the restaurants. The theatre is an exception to this winter calm. It is in peak pantomime season. Afternoon and early evening performances sold out.  The ice cream shop across the road from the  theatre entrance has a long queue of exhausted parents and delighted toddlers after each performance.

Owls and a reindeer the highlights of a Christmas display in a shop window.


Some Christmas traditions are inviolable.

The crib is brought up to the house from the garage. A little haven of 1980's era Czechoslovakian nostalgia.  One of the angels requires a little super glue on a wing but apart from that all the main characters have withstood the ravages of time ( and twenty years of moving around Europe ) remarkably well. When we started there were eight sheep but generations of inquisitive Polish Lowland Sheepdogs have reduced that number to five.


The lady in the blue dress stands next to the wise men . Her role in this tableau still uncertain. Perhaps she's part of an old Moravian folk tradition ?


A very composed looking Mary seems to have made a miraculously quick recovery from the shock of child birth .
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14 comments:

  1. WFT NobbyDecember 17, 2023 at 9:39 AM

    It wouldn't be Christmas now without a sighting of the Moravian crib. And a favourite carol sung by the King's College choir completes a perfect seasonal post!

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  2. jabblogDecember 17, 2023 at 12:31 PM

    I like Holst's setting to this carol but think I prefer Darke's more sombre music .

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  3. TravelDecember 17, 2023 at 1:58 PM

    Sheep can be fragile creatures.

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  4. Yamini MacLeanDecember 17, 2023 at 2:16 PM

    Hari OM
    ...the innkeeper's wife??? YAM xx

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  5. CamilleDecember 17, 2023 at 2:22 PM

    As Gail said; it wouldn't be Christmas without the creche making an appearance! How I love seeing this tableaux every year. I've never made out which one is Joseph, unless perhaps he's the short sturdy fellow holding a chicken? The stern lady in blue always reminded me of someone's mother-in-law who disapproved of the stable and wished she'd thought to bring nappies.

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    Replies
    1. Jake of FloridaDecember 17, 2023 at 5:52 PM

      My thoughts are similar. A disappointed mother in law!

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  6. StephanieDecember 17, 2023 at 4:12 PM

    Oh hurray! The appearance of the nativity scene is always a high point. The expressions are priceless.

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  7. The Bougalou BearDecember 17, 2023 at 5:26 PM

    Hourra indeed.
    Could the stern blue lady be the midwife, thinking this is way too many visitors for a first day?

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  8. DiadayDecember 17, 2023 at 5:42 PM

    I love this nativity scene. My grandma's side of the family is Czechoslovakian and their eyes have a similar look to the figures in this set. When my dad gave us "the look," we knew we'd better shape up fast!

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  9. rottroverDecember 17, 2023 at 7:48 PM

    I'm going with Innkeeper's Wife-making sure everything is in order for this unusual celebration. I'm also thinking Joseph is one of the men on the right; maybe the furthest right, though he is much taller than Mary.

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  10. The Life of RileyDecember 17, 2023 at 8:00 PM

    I always thought the woman in the simple plain blue dress was Mary. Nice to see closeup photos of the characters, including animal heads inside the crib which I hadn't noticed before.

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  11. Coppa's girlDecember 17, 2023 at 8:02 PM

    Yes, the lady in blue could be the Innkeeper's wife, or Joseph's mother-in-law, or the midwife, or just a nosy passer-by. We'll never know for sure, but it's fun to speculate.
    That is indeed a glorious sunrise.

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  12. Lisa in FranceDecember 17, 2023 at 10:13 PM

    Yes, it is so nice to see this group again. I realize it is indeed the lady in blue who stays in my mind during the off-season.

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  13. AnonymousDecember 18, 2023 at 12:55 AM

    The lady in blue? Jesus’ midwife. Gospel of James.

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