The fascinating story of the Christmas crib: from the church into the living room

The fascinating story of the Christmas crib: from the church into the living room

Klagenfurt, Österreich - The story of the Christmas crib in Carinthia is as old as fascinating. As early as 1223, St. Franz von Assisi is said to have put up a crib in the forest. Documented evidence has existed since 1252 and show that the first cribs were found in the monastery churches of Italy and Portugal. As a result, this tradition was primarily promoted by medals such as the Jesuits and Franciscans in the 16th century. But a crucial turn came with Emperor Joseph II, who issued a crib ban in the late 18th century. This ban aimed to banish the Christmas cribs from the churches because they were considered "ridiculous and childish". Instead, cribs found their way into the living rooms of the people and were thus part of domestic customs, as Radio Kärnten

The influence of Emperor Joseph II.

Joseph II was a rather controversial ruler during his reign from 1765 to 1790. Under his first large monastery elevation decree, cribs were perceived as annoying and removed from the churches. These measures were also approved by high church dignitaries. Nevertheless, the will to go against these bans - people did not want to miss the tradition. In 1804 Joseph II finally raised his own ban, which led to the renaissance of the cribs. Since then, they have not only been present in churches, but especially in the living rooms of the families, where they are set up every year, especially from Christmas Eve to Mariä Lichtmess, as well as from Rundschau

In the 19th century, the tradition of building cribs really took off, influenced by romantic ideas. People began not only to collect cribs, but also to design the associated characters with great attention to detail. Today there are numerous crèche building clubs that keep tradition alive. This craft is particularly widespread in South Tyrol and Carinthia and ensures that the artistic representations of the birth of Christ also have a permanent place in the hearts of people in the present.