Let’s celebrate the 10th day of Christmas with a look at a Christmas tradition unique to Kraków: the Cracovian crèche (szopka krakowska in Polish).
The Bible says that the newborn Jesus was placed in a manger. What did the manger look like and what were the surroundings? The depiction of the Nativity scene varies from region to region: sometimes the Holy Family is shown in a grotto, sometimes in a stable, there may be snow or palms round the place. Kraków has its unique version with the Holy Family in a fantastic church.
Cracovian Nativity scene contest
Such crèches were first constructed in the 19th century by local masons, who lacked employment in winter and wanted to earn some extra grosze by carolling and putting on a Christmas play. They would carry puppet theatres in a shape of a church, which were originally based on existing churches and later combined elements of various buildings forming fairy tale structures. Although they have always been made of very cheap materials and I agree that they may seem flashy, to me they are extremely intricate, perfect masterpieces.
A middle-sized and a miniature Cracovian Nativity scenes
The pictures show some crèches displayed at the statue of Adam Mickiewicz in the Main Market Square. The presentation there is a part of the annual crèche contest. Note the tiny crèche held by a puppet! It is maybe 5cm big, while the biggest ever made, comprising elements reminiscent of all 21 churches within the Cracovian Old Town, is 5m and has been recently displayed at Notre Dame in Paris. I recommend an interestring interview with the family who made it. And if you are in Kraków, you can visit the exhibition of the winning Nativity Scenes at the Historical Museum of Kraków, open till 28.02.2016.
Krakowianka 