We explain what a manger is, its literal meaning and its Christian meaning. Also, the history of its tradition associated with Christmas.
What is the manger?
In the West and among practitioners of the religion Catholic Christian, it is known as a manger, nativity scene, birth or portal to a plastic representation of variable size and materials of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, an event that is traditionally located in a barn, a solitary portal or a place to feed the animals.
In fact, the word manger literally designates a stable, which is where, according to tradition, Jesus was born. These re-enactments are typical of the Christmas and the celebration of Three Kings Day, and are generally known as nativity scenes.
The mangers are stagings, in which figures or figurines are involved that represent those who, according to tradition, were present at the coming into the world of the son of God: the holy family (Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus), the archangel Gabriel and the three Wise Men who come from the East, as well as the mule and the ox.
However, it is common for other secondary or tertiary figures to also appear in larger nativity scenes, such as shepherds with their flocks, walkers, dancers, angels, etc.
The elaboration of the mangers usually corresponds to the families, parish religious communities or institutions educational and / or public. Competitions are often held to reward the best representation of the birth. Furthermore, these vary immensely from one version to another. Thus, there may be mangers painted, sculpted, in relief, with real actors, and so on.
The tradition of the manger is extremely old. There is evidence of its composition in catacombs of early Christianity, and also in ancient churches and pilgrimage sites of Christian worship.
However, the first recorded Christmas nativity scene was made on Christmas Eve 1223 by Saint Francis of Assisi, inside a cave near Greccio, in Italy. On that occasion, the saint used animals instead of actors or figures, to symbolize the birth of Christ, and later celebrated a night mass.
The Franciscan order, in fact, was one of the great promoters of nativity scenes in the centuries to come, from the 14th century on this tradition it became widespread in Italy and other European countries, first as a practice carried out by ecclesiastical authorities, then also by aristocrats and finally as a popular tradition.
Nativity scenes were even used as a tool for evangelization in Hispanic America, throughout the 18th century, incorporating local plant and animal species into their representation.
Already in the 19th century, nativity scene was so popular that the first Nativity Scene Associations emerged in Europe, and even specialized congresses on the subject were held. However, today it is considered a way to freely express the Catholic faith and celebrate the arrival of the Christmas holidays. For that reason, there are many and very varied traditions current around the manger.
According to tradition, the manger is assembled before Christmas, generally on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and is left standing until February 2, the feast of the Candlemas.
It is also common to initially hide the baby Jesus with a piece of cloth (or in some cases physically remove him from the scene), until after midnight on December 24, when he is revealed or made present, since it is considered that by the end Jesus Christ "was born."