French churches across the country don't mess around when it comes to setting up the nativity scene (or, crèche) starting around early December; the baby Jesus of course does not make an entrance until Christmas itself. In Provence, which is in the South of France where we're spending the week, the nativity scenes are all made from hand-painted terracotta figurines called Santons, which roughly translates 'little saints'. In a traditional Provençal crèche, there are 55 individual figures representing various characters from Provençal village life such as (according to Wikipedia) the scissors grinder, the fishwife, the blind man, and the chestnut seller. You cannot make this stuff up. During the French Revolution in the late 1700s, churches were closed and their ubiquitous nativity scenes were prohibited. A smart fella in Marseille named Lagnel (of no consequence, but there you go) crafted the first clay santons to get around the strictly religious theme, and they've been part of Provençal Christmas tradition ever since. Michael is making a funny face in this pic, but you can still get a sense of how big some of these figurines can get. Want to buy your own set of 55 French village thematic figurines, you are now empowered.
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AuthorBecause why not get married and move to Paris to really kick off your thirties? Archives
December 2016
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