Nativity play

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Nativity Scene in Poland (2003)
Nativity Scene in the USA (2007)

The nativity play , a form of Christmas play , is a traditional scenic representation of the Christmas story , which is about the birth of Jesus . The nativity play is usually performed on Christmas Eve in the church, although it can also be included in the Christmas Vespers .

Origins

In the Middle Ages, the Christmas play was a spiritual play by laypeople, arising from the liturgical Christmas celebrations . As early as the 10th century there was the nativity play on the altar around Mary , Joseph and the Christ child. The proclamation of the birth of Christ to the shepherds (shepherd's play) and the homage to the child by the three kings (three-kings play) were also shown dramatically. The Christmas games emerged from this in the 12th century. The Christmas play from Benediktbeuern in Latin has been preserved from the 13th century . The Christmas game is different from the nativity play, especially in that it further scenes from the Bible contained as the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise .

There were also nativity scenes in Styria and Carinthia , in the form of a parlor play, which means that they were played in a living room or a guest room, but without a special stage. Shepherd games from Metnitz and Ingolsthal as well as from Köstenberg and Lind ob Velden have been handed down, the authors of which are Silvester Wietinger, Andreas Schuster-Drabosenig and Josef Uran (1898).

According to tradition, both the nativity play and Christkindl cradles of the Dominican women as well as the nativity scene go back to the year 1223. At that time, Francis of Assisi allegedly depicted the Christmas events in the forest of Greccio with living animals and people in view of the Epiphany , and since then the Franciscans have promoted this form of representation, which continued even after the Reformation .

Examples

Nativity Play 2014
  • Meyer's Christmas game , a Latin, extensive fragment with game instructions from the 12th century, which depicts the Christmas story (as a combination of epiphany, messenger, Herod and shepherd game) up to the beginning of adoration at the manger.
  • The Ischler Nativity Scene is one of the oldest Christmas games in Austria . The first documented writing dates back to 1654, its origins go back to the 11th century. Today it is performed every four years in the parish church of Bad Ischl .
  • The Hofer Christmas game was also created in the late Middle Ages . The musical part was taken over by the cantor with the student choir of the parish school of St. Lorenz , after the Reformation the tradition continued through the Hof Latin school in the Michaeliskirche . With a Christmas play children's cantata by Ludger Stühlmeyer , the tradition is continued in the town church of St. Marien .
  • Since the 1920s, students from Lübeck's Katharineum have performed a nativity play in Low German every year during Advent in Lübeck's Aegidienkirche .
  • The Labes nativity play was introduced in 1921 in Labes in Pomerania. Today there are annual performances in Hanover and in Schwüblingsen .
  • The Oberuferer Christmas play , which is performed in particular by Waldorf schools .
  • The living nativity scene is performed by actors at the Andernach Christmas market. For this purpose, a crib is set up in the marketplace and the act of the birth of Christ is performed. In addition to ox and donkey, sheep and shepherds around the campfire, the three holy kings, Mary and Joseph, the angel and the Christ child can be seen. Performances are held twice a day at the weekend.
  • The Christmas market in Essen shows every year a nativity scene with live sheep that live for the duration of the Christmas market in the manger.
  • Since 2013, started at the Christmas market in Huttwil Switzerland , the modern Chinder Wiehnacht has been performed in Alemannic dialect by Roland Zoss in changing churches.

No nativity scenes in Worms

In the run-up to Christmas 2014, the city of Worms caused a stir throughout Germany when the city administration banned a planned nativity play by the Protestant Luther community on the Christmas market and the Mainz administrative court confirmed this ban. The court justified this with the fact that the nativity scene violated the rights of third parties to an undisturbed visit to the Christmas market. The parish wanted to use the nativity play to draw attention to the situation of refugees. The Protestant deanery of Worms-Wonnegau sharply criticized the city administration's ban on the nativity scene. Dean Harald Storch said that flight and hardship are important parts of the Christmas story.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Nativity plays  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Nativity scene  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Meyer's Christmas play. In: Author's Lexicon . Volume V, Col. 490 f.
  2. ↑ Ischler nativity play. Retrieved November 17, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Stadtarchiv Hof, BX 154, fol.61f. In: Ludger Stühlmeyer, Curia sonans , 2010, p. 63f.
  4. ↑ Internet sources : Accessed December 15, 2014; - ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - http://www.tagesspiegel.de/weltspiegel/weihnachten-gefaehrdet-ein-krippenspiel-das-abendland/11124592.html - http://www.wormser-zeitung.de/lokales/worms/nachrichten-worms/krippenspiel -forbidden-round-table-wanted-to-wormser-christmas-market-an-fate-of-refugees-remember_14857413.htm - - ( Memento of the original from May 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and still Not checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - http://nibelungen-kurier.de/gericht-untersagt-krippenspiel/ etc. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.epd.de @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.jesus.de