Nativity with Sheep and Donkey

About this drawing

Every nativity with sheep and donkey on a mantel owes a debt to one Italian friar. On Christmas Eve in 1223, Saint Francis of Assisi wanted the villagers of Greccio to see for themselves the humble setting of Jesus's birth. He arranged for a manger, hay, an ox, and a donkey in a cave near the town.

People arrived in the dark carrying torches, and Mass was said at the spot. The story moved everyone who heard it, and Franciscan friars spread the idea across Europe. Over the following centuries, live scenes gave way to carved figures, first in churches and later in private homes.

Germans and Czechs became known for wooden crèches, and Naples for its lavish scenes filled with bustling market life. Moravian settlers brought their own version to Pennsylvania, building large displays called putz under their Christmas trees. Today, American churches often stage living nativities in December, with neighbors dressed as shepherds and a few borrowed sheep. The custom sometimes goes on in ways Francis might not have predicted, with drive-through versions in parking lots and light-up lawn sets. The heart of it hasn't changed since that night in Greccio, though: a plain stable, a few animals, and a family at the center.

• nativity
• holy family
• sheep
• donkey