Outdoor Nativity Sets: Birth of a Tradition

One of the things that makes Christmas special is the many different ways it is celebrated by different cultures across the globe. Filipinos hold a Giant Lantern Festival in the city of San Fernando, while Colombians place elaborate paper lanterns in and around their homes in honor of the Virgin Mary. In Mexico, celebrants reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem by going from house to house carrying images of the couple. And in Ukraine, they prepare a “holy supper” that begins as soon as children spot the first star in the evening sky. But amid all this vast variety of holiday customs, there is one you will find common in almost all countries: the re-creation of the first Christmas with static indoor or outdoor Nativity scenes.

Ever since Saint Francis of Assisi—inspired by a trip to the Holy Land—staged the first true celebratory “Nativity Scene” in Greccio, Italy, in the year 1223, vivid replications of the birth of Jesus have become a perennial staple of the Christmas holidays around the world. True, Francis’s Nativity scene was presented in a cave and featured just a manger with an ox and donkey as the only living creatures in attendance. Nevertheless, from that day forward, it has become a popular Christmas tradition to recreate the Nativity by having children re-enact the event, setting up a crèche with small figurines in the home, or installing life-size tableaus in front of churches, inside shopping malls, and around other public places.

Outdoor Nativity Scenes: Why Go Big?

Christmas Night’s high-quality outdoor Nativity sets are large in size compared to indoor or tabletop creations. The advantage of outdoor sets is that they are generally bigger, and so they can be seen by more people and from a greater distance. Our beautiful sets are painted using vibrant colors that help viewers distinguish the figures, structures, and animals. Outdoor Nativity scenes can be found in front of homes, though the larger lawn decorations are more commonly found in front of churches and businesses.

Our selection of outdoor Nativity sets also includes numerous pieces that can purchased individually and added to a set to expand it. Many animals, such as sheep, goats, donkeys, oxen, and cows are available to give the scene a more “natural” appeal. Angels along with additional human figures are also available. Add your favorite individual figures to your Nativity set to personalize it the way you like!

The Italians call them presepi. In France they are known as crèches de Noël. Spanish-speakers refer to them as pesebres, while the people of Poland call them szopki krakowskie. Yet whatever their names, and however much these traditions may differ in their details from country to country, they all stem from the same source. Whether you choose a small or large set, there’s no better way to celebrate Christmas than with a lovely, durable outdoor Nativity scene from Christmas Night Inc. to help spread the joy of the season far and wide, and for years to come.

Outdoor Nativity Sets FAQs

• Where in the Bible is the original Nativity story recounted?

  The Nativity is described briefly, and only twice, in the New Testament: once in the Gospel of Luke (2:6–20) and again in the Gospel of Matthew (2:1–23). A number of non-Biblical and apocryphal sources have added additional details to these narratives.

• Is there any difference between Luke’s and Matthew’s respective Nativity narratives?

  Yes, they are very different. Luke describes shepherds tending their flocks when an angel appears to them announcing the birth of the Messiah; the shepherds then travel to Bethlehem, where they find Mary and Joseph (presumably in a barn or stable for animals, or perhaps a peasant home), with the baby Jesus lying in a manger. In Matthew’s version, on the other hand, three “wise men” (magi, or astrologers) from the East follow a star to Bethlehem to see the foretold “King of Jews” and to present him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Note that the details of Matthew’s recounting indicate that Jesus is no longer a newborn but a one- or two-year-old child. Nevertheless, in popular tradition the two narratives occur within the same time frame. For that reason, many indoor and outdoor Nativity scenes include both shepherds and the Magi.

• What were the names of the shepherds and the Magi?

  We do not know the names of the shepherds, nor even how many of them heeded the angel’s announcement. Likewise, the New Testament never mentions the names of the three Magi. However, according to extra-Biblical sources and church tradition, their names were Balthasar (a king of Arabia), Melchior (a king of Persia), and Gaspar (a king of India).

• What kind of animals surrounded the baby Jesus at his birth?

  The New Testament narratives do not mention a single specific animal. So if animals were present, there is no way of knowing which kinds. However, one can assume that the shepherds would have brought along some of their sheep; and the Magi would arguably have arrived by camel, which was a popular means of transport at the time. We can be fairly certain that no pigs would have been present, as they were considered unclean beasts in ancient Judea. The other kinds of animals commonly kept by the farmers of Bethlehem would include oxen, donkeys, goats, and perhaps chickens or other domesticated fowl. Dogs and cats also would not have been out of place. In the Roman period during which the Nativity occurred—and given the geography—it is not completely implausible that there might even have been an elephant in attendance!

• What figures should be included in the most authentic type of outdoor Nativity scenes?

  Based strictly on the New Testament narratives, such a setup would look very sparse indeed! Besides Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus lying in a manger, an “authentic” outdoor Nativity scene might include an unspecified number of “wise men,” an unknown number of shepherds, possibly some sheep, perhaps one camel at least, surely a donkey and/or ox (or two), an angel, and a star hanging overhead. But authenticity isn’t exactly the point. Indeed, in all likelihood the Holy Family did not shelter in a stable at all but in the lower level of a first-century rural relative’s home. Nowadays, however, centuries of linguistic obfuscation, historical speculation, popular tradition, and artistic license have made it perfectly okay to set up a Nativity scene that adheres instead to individual imagination and faith rather than Biblical accuracy. As for the non-human figurines, throughout the Christian era paintings and other artistic renderings of the Nativity have included animals found only in the artist’s native country and completely alien to the Bethlehem of Jesus’ time. For example, some African artists have included giraffes and lions in their Nativity scenes. Therefore, when setting up your outdoor Nativity scene, feel free to select the figurines that feel right to you!

• What is the most appropriate place to set up an outdoor Nativity scene?

  The chief purpose of displaying a model or tableau representing the scene of Jesus Christ’s birth is to celebrate the coming of one’s Savior and to make a public expression of faith. For that reason, people generally want their crèche to be as visible as possible. Christian homeowners typically place life-size or slightly smaller-than-life-size crèches right on the front lawn, facing the street. Similarly, religious buildings such as churches, rectories, and convents will feature a life-size Nativity scene positioned right in front of the structure. During the holiday season, some business offices and commercial venues such as shopping malls will often display a large crèche at the vestibule or in the main atrium of the building.

• How big should your crèche be?

  As big (or small) as you want it, where it will fit, and that you can afford. For what it’s worth, the largest Nativity scene in the world, as noted by the Guinness Book of World Records, is the Tomáš Krýza crèche in the Czech Republic, which covers 200 square feet and features 1,389 figures of humans and animals, many of which are moveable! (On the other hand, a team of scientists from Lithuania have made a Christmas Nativity Scene that is smaller than a human cell.)