And yet these nativity scenes aren’t much more far-fetched than the traditional ones. Christmas, like many other holidays, is a social ritual informed by some mix of religion and folklore.

Each year, Greccio, Italy, reenacts a living Nativity scene paying homage to Saint Francis of Assisi, who is credited with starting the exhibition that represents the birth of Jesus.

Just before Christmas, a hidden Nativity scene has been discovered after being tucked away under another painting for centuries. The artwork, which is believed to be around 400 years old and is ...

Christmas 2023 marks 800 years since St. Francis of Assisi staged the first manger scene in the hill town of Greccio, about 50 miles north of Rome. A Service of EWTN News, Inc.

Historians say the first nativity scene was staged in 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi. The account is registered in the book “The Life of St. Francis of Assisi” by St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan ...