Exhibition of Global Nativity Scenes Opens

A woman who has amassed a collection of over 130 nativity scenes from various global locations has temporarily provided them for a local exhibition. Marjorie Carrier began acquiring these scenes during her holidays and conceived the idea of an exhibit in 2012. Her collection is currently being showcased at St Andrew’s Church, situated in Girton, near Cambridge. Residing in Wyton, Cambridgeshire, Mrs. Carrier expressed that it was “fascinating” to observe how diverse nations utilized indigenous materials and their distinct cultural traditions to craft representations of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Her motivation to present the collection as an exhibition stemmed from BBC broadcaster Libby Purves, who possessed a substantial nativity collection that she would loan to churches. In 2012, while residing in Leamington Spa, Mrs. Carrier had requested Purves to lend her collection to her local church; however, due to its prior commitments, Mrs. Carrier resolved to commence her own collection. “I’ve 130 now, going on for 140,” she stated. She added, “We had travelled quite a lot and since I started the exhibition, I’m always on the lookout for new nativity sets from the particular country I’m in. “Friends and relations know I collect them and they try to look out for them.” She believes the display “gets people thinking about the true meaning of Christmas.” Among her collection are scenes originating from South America, which depict llamas in place of sheep; a set from Mexico crafted from local tin; and another from Kenya fashioned from banana fibre. Mrs. Carrier commented, “It is really fascinating to see how different societies use their local materials to show the manger scene and to show their own interpretation of the Christmas story.” The Reverend Michael Bigg, Rector of Girton, described the exhibition as “a wonderful opportunity to see a wide variety” of nativity scenes and to engage in reflection. He further expressed, “We hope that everyone will go away with a fresh perspective on the Christmas story, and how people around the world picture it.” The exhibition, which is free of charge, will be accessible to the public until Friday. For updates on Cambridgeshire news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.