For anyone coming to our December convention, I hope while you’re in a Washington DC you can pop over to Arlington, right next door, to tour my collection of over 500 crèches from around the world.
One reason I love giving tours is that I learn so much from fellow friends of the creche!
For example, this crèche my husband brought me from the Slovak Republic left me pondering the obvious question, “Why is he carrying a fish to the Baby Jesus?”
One wiseman is carrying the gold, silver and frankincense, so I understand that the others didn’t want to come empty handed, but a fish?
My mystery was solved when a fellow Friend of the Creche who was touring my crèches told me it was for the traditional Slovak Christmas Eve meal. Following up on her clue, I found out that the fish in my creche looks like the Christmas carp, a tradition from the 13th century. People even keep the Christmas carp in their bathtubs for a couple of days before it becomes their Christmas Eve meal!
It’s a joy to see how artists display their culture and traditions as they depict God coming into our world!
I’ve got many more examples to share. And I’d love to learn more from you. Come on over while you’re in town this December! Contact me through FOTC, so we can set up a time for your visit.