Nativity Scene

General Information About Item:

Informant Data:

B.L. is a senior at Tulane University. An avid reader and one who enjoys the arts, these parts about him were borne about as a result of his family. He grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and has one brother. B.L. was brought up in a devout Catholic family.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: The nativity scene is the portrayal of the birth of Jesus Chirst. It is something which is celebrated by the Christian faith especially during the Christmas season. It represents the birth of the Lord and Savior, Jesus, and the gifts which he was brought as a young boy which represent the power and authority he had since birth.
Social Context: B.L’s family commemorates this event each year through acting out the nativity scene. This scene is sometimes represented in Church, with children playing the majority of the roles, but B.L’s family has adopted this tradition and continues to do it to this day as adults.

Item:

Every year on the night before Christmas, B.L’s extended family partakes in a nativity play which represents the birth of Jesus Chirst. Each member of his extended family, cousins and all, dress up as a different role and act out this scene in front of his grandparents. Each member of the family has their own unique part to play and plays the same role every year. B.L. noted that from a young age he was chosen to play the role of Jesus, something which he looks forward to every year.

Transcript:

“I don’t completely remember how far this tradition goes back but I think that says something in itself- we’ve been doing this since I can remember. As you know, my family is quite religious and sees Christmas as an opportunity to remember the life of Jesus Christ and all that he sacrificed for us. At times during the year I forget just how involved I am and should be with my religion, and this is a means of connecting back with that part of myself and my culture. Since a young age, I have played the role of Jesus, and while it surely used to be a lot cuter with all the young cousins doing their best to act out the nativity scene, it’s still something we all take very seriously. I’d also say it’s a great way for my family to connect during the Christmas season and spend quality time together. I don’t get to see my brother and my parents nearly as much as I’d like to these days and the nativity scene is something which connects my family.”

Informant’s Comments:

“Acting out the birth of Jesus is a great way to connect with my religious background. In this way I am both actively able to commemorate his life, and also teach myself a bit about how to be more like him each and every day.”

Collector’s Comments:

This interview was definitely different from a few of my others, but I knew coming in that B.L’s catholic background would provide some religious traditions. While this event is rooted in religion which is shared, the event of acting out the nativity scene is somewhat specific to B.L’s family- he is the only one of my five interviewee’s whose family participates in an event like this. I would argue that this in fact makes it a piece of folklore due to the fact that it is a tradition specific to his family.

Collected By:

Daniel Hincks

Boston, MA

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS013

Fall 2021

Dartmouth Folklore Archive