christmas in venezuela # 2 history

The Venezuelan crib has its origin in the Spanish traditions brought to the new world by the colonizers, the indigenous and African slaves in their "non-Christian" condition did not contribute any significance to these parties except the influence provided to the gastronomic part of the Christmas festivities .

We received through the Spanish colonization the essence of the cult of the birth of Christ, of the Child Jesus, essence to which the reinterpretations that now characterize Latin American Christmas were added. Its essence has remained untouched by the generalized changes suffered by the Christmas culture.

The manger is found throughout the Christian world, its origin is in Italy and passed to America through Spain. the first figurines, made of clay, arrived in Spain around 1448 and came from Naples, where the birth of the child was represented only in the churches. the figures began to be manufactured in Spain in the sixteenth century, and in the seventeenth century the most renowned sculptors made wax and wood. the popularization of the manger occurred in Spain at the end of the 18th century: when Carlos III left the throne of Naples to arrive in Spain as emperor, he brought with him his great fondness for births and as a gift to the Prince of Asturias, his son, entrusted to Valencian artists the making of special figurines. This custom took root among the members of the nobility who entrusted works similar to famous carvers and a perhaps richer process was given in America from the Spanish colonization to be added the artisanal creative wealth that was characterizing us as mergers took place extraordinary cultural events that shaped us as Hispanic Americans. the regionality of our culture contributed to the manger not only its material elements in which the collective and individual faith was resolved, but also the ritual and festive behavior that the transculturation processes were designing until they became characteristic of each zone. the Venezuelan of our days has not renounced the custom of "putting the manger", incorporating him as companions of the Christmas scene the little tree and other adornments of more recent introduction. The latter particularly in the urban environment, where it is increasingly dependent on the industrialization of Christmas.

In the rural area and in the least urbanized, there is still enough space and time for the tradition of the manger to expand in all its creative dimension.