Christmas, the festival of the Birth of Christ, is irrevocably bound to many traditions all over the world. The nativity scene, lovingly set up beneath the Christmas tree, is invariably a fixed part of the season in most households.

It is said that it was St. Francis of Assisi who first had the idea, back in 1223, of setting up a plastic representation of the Christmas story. The passion for nativity scenes really blossomed during the Baroque. As a means of "illustrating belief", lavish and valuable scenes were designed and made, under the guidance of the Jesuits, and then set up in churches. In time, smaller but equally valuable examples were set up in townhouses and farms.

Today, there is an endless variety of nativity scenes, and the main components have remained the same: the stable at Bethlehem and the Holy Family - Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, the ox and the donkey, with the shepherds and the Wise Men watching over them, in reverence and awe.