Annual creche display

MIDWAY— It's incredible that there can be so many depictions of the birth of Christ — from so many peoples and so many minds — and they all reflect the same thing: a love for a divine baby.

At the Seventh Annual International Creche Exhibit in Midway, there seems to be no limit to the variety of materials that can be used to recreate the Nativity scene.

Here, there are Marys and Josephs and babies made of bone, cornhusks, banana leaves, pine needles, clay, tin, fabric, salt dough and bobbin lace. There is one chopped out of large pieces of rough wood, another fashioned with a chain saw. There are others of finely crafted glass and crystal.

Artist James Christensen has made a painted porcelain creche.

There is a Nativity scene tie and puzzles and rug hookings.

In one, the grandkids' portraits play the parts of Mary and Joseph and the Wise Men and Shepherds.

Some include the midwives that some cultures believe were there to help deliver the Baby Jesus.

Others have winged angels as part of the scene.

Nutcrackers are the Wise Men for one display. Gourds play the parts in another.

A couple have the Holy Family in a canoe.

Others have them in an Alaskan igloo.

There are tapestries, paintings, music boxes, windmills propelled by candles, expensive Hummels and Lladro sets. One is carved into a matchstick.

The 700 creches come from a variety of collectors and from 70 countries, including South Africa, Columbia, Peru, France, Switzerland and Spain.

They're made of plush material, mud, olive wood and paper.

The Amish creche people have no faces because the Amish don't believe in painting faces onto their work.

Baby Jesus is a Robin's egg in a creche made completely of real birds' eggs.

Sometimes he's a Native American and other times he's black.

Whatever the medium and whatever the culture, there's a reverence to the creches on display in the Midway LDS Stake Center as the entire building is turned over to the creche exhibit for several days each year.

It's beautiful and amazing. It's breathtaking and fascinating.

It's also Christmas captured in art, a coming together of peoples and faiths that is remarkable on its own.

It's over for this year. Don't miss it in 2006.

If you go

What: Utah Valley Interfaith Creche Exhibit

Where: Heritage School Chapel, 5600 Heritage School Drive — turn east on 5200 N. University, then north on River Run Road in Provo

When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today-Saturday.

How much: free (bring canned food for the Community Action Food Bank)

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E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com