Die Weihnachtskrippe
Eine kleine kulturhistorische Geschichte
"Come, all ye shepherds, ye children of earth,
Come ye, bring greetings to yon heavenly birth."
Nativity plays are particularly popular today in Christmas Eve services and among children. Many people are unaware that theatrical performances of the Christmas story have been widespread since the High Middle Ages. Most people at that time could not read, so it was particularly moving for the congregation to experience the angel of the Annunciation, the Holy Family, ox and donkey, shepherds and sheep up close. The play scenes were often integrated into the liturgy of the service, allowing the faithful to become participants in the sacred events.
The dramatisation of the Christmas story often took place in monasteries, but there were also Christmas plays in the cities, set in cathedrals or the chapels at the princely court. Some of the texts have been preserved, and there are also descriptions of machinery that later became common in the theatre. And it is certain that Mary, Joseph, the angels and the shepherds were dressed and equipped with their symbols, as frescoes, manuscripts and pictures from that period show.