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selenak: (Bamberg - Kathyh)
[personal profile] selenak
...to all who celebrate, and hopefully a good holiday/holidays to everyone else. As in every year, the APs and yours truly walked through Bamberg admiring the various nativity scenes.

Gesamt Karmeliten photo SAM_1096_zpsjyu7x9ox.jpg



St. Carmel was reliably great:

Ueberblick Karmeliten photo SAM_1093_zpspenpxsws.jpg

Karmeliten Ueberblick B photo SAM_1110_zpspmsggegq.jpg

With some of the stalwart Bethlehem regulars, and some newbies. An example for the later:

Jungs von Bethlehem photo SAM_1099_zpswsdjplm8.jpg

I liked the boys, but I gotta say, reading Bethlehem granny was my favourite of the new ones:

Leserin photo SAM_1100_zpsxtritvg2.jpg

Not that the regulars ever lose their charm:

Teppichklopfer photo SAM_1104_zpsbmkrfq8k.jpg

Markt in Bethlehem photo SAM_1109_zps2kuzluxx.jpg

Meanwhile Our Lady's reliable goes for the Franconian look in their depiction of Bethlehem:

Gesamt A Obere Pfarre photo SAM_1115_zpsc9scgysy.jpg

But they, too, have newbies:

Frauenstammtisch von Bethlehem photo SAM_1116_zps9v0v6f0x.jpg

(If you're wondering, "Frauenpower" means "women's power", yes. A Stammtisch is a circle of friends regularly getting the same table in their pub of choice.)
And then there's the Franconian Bethlehem farmer's market:

Gesund essen in Bethlehem photo SAM_1118_zpszjz3rfb0.jpg

While the stable is also very Franconian:

Stall Obere Pfarre photo SAM_1119_zps5wonlnxk.jpg

The kitty figurine is hidden at a different point every year and onlookers are invited to guess. This year, it is here:

 photo SAM_1120_zpsy18noccy.jpg

Dachdecker und Katze photo SAM_1121_zpsdztza1pr.jpg

An oldie but goodie:

Wein und Mönch photo SAM_1126_zpsnkqxnjq1.jpg

Meanwhile, the heavenly choir this year includes a little drummer angel:

Little Drummer Girl photo SAM_1122_zpsvexh4ht7.jpg

And this father and son as onlookers:

Vater und Sohn photo SAM_1127_zpsng7aj9i3.jpg

Some of the older figurines have to be restored regularly. Here's an example of before and after, to show how much work goes into the maintenance:

Restaurierungsdetail photo SAM_1128_zpsvavfrmqq.jpg

Spotted outside: a Christmas tree made out of roots:

Wurzelbaum photo SAM_1130_zps5lm77tro.jpg

The most remarkable nativity scene at St. Matern's this year was also the sole overtly political one, called "Christmas in the Holy Land Today":

Heute im Heiligen Land photo SAM_1087_zpseiewg8hf.jpg

Heiliges Land Heute photo SAM_1088_zps43rxt01n.jpg

The sign, below in detail, says that if you go from Bethlehem through Jerusalem today, you pass on the old paths and see faces both suffering and cheerful; that the Holy Land today is torn apart and full of both despair and hope, birthplace of three world religions:

Detail Politische Krippe photo SAM_1089_zpsyi0kgkcy.jpg

To continue with yet another aesthetic and interpretation, this time of St. Stephen's:

Krippe St. Stephan photo SAM_1133_zpsh2ulmll4.jpg

Which doesn't just depict the nativity itself but also various events of Jesus' life, and some later saints. Here's twelve years Jesus at the temple:

Jesus im Tempel photo SAM_1136_zpss0rwo99h.jpg

St. Catherine of Alexandria (with the cloak) and St. Barbara (with the cup):

St. Katharina & St. Barbara photo SAM_1138_zpsfdpy0gs2.jpg

St. Francis preaching to the animals, with the holy family fleeing to Egypt in the background:

Franziskus predigt den Tieren photo SAM_1140_zpsr6yfs4ea.jpg

Lastly, St. Martin finished its restoration, and thus looks this way again:

St. Martin photo SAM_1142_zpswusqwmle.jpg

Their nativity scene is also lovely, and has details such as these:

Hanging out in Bethlehem:

Hanging out in Bethlehem photo SAM_1147_zpsk1oj6kch.jpg

Balkonleute photo SAM_1148_zpslunwioos.jpg

Don't ask me what the Chinese letters say. I have no idea, but it is my concluding picture:

 photo SAM_1149_zpsgisaz0wu.jpg

If it says "Made in China", go figure. Doesn't change the charm. Happy Holidays!

Date: 2016-12-25 12:34 am (UTC)
st_aurafina: (Christma: Golden balls)
From: [personal profile] st_aurafina
Merry Christmas! Wow, such beautiful Nativity scenes - I love the reading grandmother, too.

Date: 2016-12-25 10:42 am (UTC)
littlerhymes: (Default)
From: [personal profile] littlerhymes
The Stammtisch Frauenpower!!! Amazing.

Date: 2016-12-28 11:21 pm (UTC)
littlerhymes: (Default)
From: [personal profile] littlerhymes
I asked my mother about the Chinese characters - it says "eat and drink". So. There you go!

Date: 2016-12-30 05:37 pm (UTC)
watervole: (Default)
From: [personal profile] watervole
I hadn't realised how large the scenes were until I saw the one that had the church window in the same photo.

Most nativity scenes I'm familiar with are only 20-30cm high.

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