St. Andrew’s United Church held its 10th annual Nativity Walk event on Nov. 28 and 29.
What is a Nativity Walk, you might be asking?
The walk invites the public to peruse a collection of some 150 nativity crèches on display in the sanctuary of St. Andrew’s downtown. If you’re unfamiliar, a nativity scene depicts the night of the birth of Jesus Christ as described in the Gospel of Luke, and features the Christian saviour as a baby in the manger surrounded by the figures of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, wise men, and farm animals.
The nativity scenes are loaned to the organizers for inclusion in the event, and features nativity depictions from North America, Peru, Mexico, Germany, Russia and Jerusalem.
Organizers said the Nativity Walk provides an opportunity for “to come and view the collection and stay for a time of prayerful reflection and quiet contemplation of the message of Advent and the miracle depicted in the works in the display.”
Sandra Simpson is the co-ordinator of the project, which has been running since 2015 (minus two years during the COVID-19 pandemic), who said when she first learned about other places hosting nativity walk, a light bulb went off in her head.
“I read about it in a magazine and I thought, you know, we could do this,” Simpson told Sudbury.com when we visited the walk on Nov. 29. “It’s a chance for people to sit, walk around and look at the nativity scenes and write down a reflection.”
The reflections she refers to are contained on sheets of paper left on a lectern where visitors can share their thoughts and feelings about the nativity. Words like “peaceful”, “beautiful” and “wonderful” are quite common descriptions people leave.
“If we can touch a few people, that’s why we do what we do,” Simpson said.
Some of her favourite pieces on display include an ornate wooden box holding samples of gold, frankincense and myrrh (the items tradition holds the wisemen brought as gifts to the baby Jesus), a small wooden, hand-carved scene purchased in Jerusalem and small Russian doll with a nativity scene carved into her skirt.
Some of the nativity scenes are traditional while others are more artistic and abstract, demonstrating the wide range of ways artisans have depicted the scene over the years, reflecting changing tastes. For instance, there are several scenes modeled in ceramic from the window of time in the 1980s when it seemed everyone’s mother was taking a ceramics course.
“Some are handcrafted, some are bought at yard sales and some parishioners who are downsizing have donated to the church,” Simpson said. “There are so many unique ones.”
While the Nativity Walk has wrapped up for the season, expect its return in a year’s time.
Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com.