St. Francis of Assisi, set up a Christmas nativity scene in the village of Greccio close to the Italian city of Reiti, in December 1223. Eight hundred years later, all over the country, in our homes, schools, workplaces, churches and outdoor venues, cribs are taken out of safe storage for the Christmas season. This tradition remains as an essential part of Christmas for many people..

The Crib is a symbol of the events in Bethlehem two thousand years ago and represents the diversity of the human condition then and now. It symbolises family, love, homelessness, exile, fear, faith, welcome, rejection, wealth, poverty, status, race, the natural world, the human and the divine.
This year, the eighth hundredth anniversary of St Francis’s nativity scene, provides an opportunity for reflection on and celebration of the tradition of the Crib.

O come, let us adore Him.