As I had wrote in the previous blog, there are two ways to start decorating your home for Christmas; setting up your baby Jesus or setting up your Christmas Tree. Some say that the religious meaning to Christmas is dying out, others say that it is mostly celebrated by the elder generation. The fact that Christmas is all about The Nativity and The Nativity is all about Jesus, then, why not give this infant His importance?
What is The Nativity?
The nativity is the story about the birth of baby Jesus; where he was born in a manger away from a warm bed. He was surrounded by animals and not among friends and family. Strangers came bearing gifts; some with sheep and others with precious, expensive items like gold. Therefore, the members of the Nativity include: the Holy Family, a shepherd or two, three wise men, some animals including sheep, a cow and a donkey and finally an angel. To have them all placed together, we call it, a Christmas Crib. This is a big tradition in Malta!
Malta and The Nativity
In Malta you can find antique statues of Baby Jesus that go back 350 years, some are on a display in a museum in B’Kara. In Malta at this time of year you will encounter hand made signs with the word “PRESEPJU” or “CRIB” . Here, you will come across artists of all types that have dedicated a lot of their time to creating a unique piece of art with small or large figurines depicting the story of the Nativity. Hence, I still think that the religious meaning of Christmas is very alive in Malta.
Along with the Christmas Crib, Malta has another tradition which is nearly 100 years old. San Gorg Preca, a Maltese saint, wanted to celebrate Christmas day with children and adults alike. In 1921, this priest created a day when the children of the town of Hamrun went out as a procession with the statue of the baby Jesus in the streets of the town. It symbolised that humans come from Jesus and Jesus is with us everywhere. Today, on Christmas Eve, this procession is done in some 66 local parishes, all over Malta and Gozo. May be this year there won’t be this procession due to safety measures but, Baby Jesus is still an important part of our Christmas traditions.
What Qronfla has to offer.
At Qronfla Christmas shop you can find so many varieties of Christmas Nativity Sets that you will be lost for choice. Start decorating this year with the true meaning of Christmas. Once you have bought a nativity set or baby Jesus, take it home and decide where it should be placed. May be your religious corner could be on a mantelpiece or close to the hub of the house, in the kitchen. May be, you would like to create a warm welcoming corner to your house and place your Nativity set near the main door. Remember to decorate it with lights, candles and may be a lovely garland to match your set. All these decorations can be found at Qronfla Christmas shop and we are open everyday till Christmas! Something you will see around the crib or Baby Jesus is ‘Gulbiena’, but I’ll talk about this in another blog.
If you need any further information on what Qronfla has to offer please do not hesitate to contact us we are here to help create the best Christmas spirit.
