Away in a manger

A mother and father. A tiny baby born in the humblest of circumstances. An influence that reaches beyond the ages with power to change the world.

Each year at Christmastime, people in many countries around the world set up reminders of that little family in Nativity sets or crèches.

That simple act follows an age-old tradition. From the 3rd century on, the birth of Jesus has been celebrated in Bethlehem. Paintings on walls, pieces of wood said to be from the original manger, morality plays were all designed to tell the story and direct the minds of the faithful to God.

St. Francis of Assisi is credited with setting up the first manger scene, using live animals. Spanish missionaries brought the idea of carving religious figures out of wood to the New World.

Since then, practically every Christian culture has added its own touches, and now Nativity scenes are widely collected, studied and appreciated.

In 1999, a small group of collectors, scholars and aficionados gathered in Bethlehem, Penn., to explore the possibility of an organized society dedicated to the Christmas Nativity. The following summer, in Dayton, Ohio, the Friends of the Crèche was born.

Since then, the society has continued to grow and has begun to hold national conventions around the country.

The 2009 Friends of the Crèche convention will be held in Salt Lake City, Nov. 12-14. It will be the first time the group has met in the Mountain West, said Holly Zenger, a founding member of the organization's board of directors and chairperson for the Salt Lake gathering. There are approximately 400 members of the organization; she expects about 200 will be at the convention, which is being held at the Radisson Hotel on South Temple.

With the theme of "Follow His Star," the convention will feature a variety of lectures and activities centered around the Nativity.

Among them will be Father Johann G. Roten of the Marian Library in Ohio, talking about the Black Madonna; local author Richard Paul Evans, telling the story of his Christmas books; and a "History of Stained Glass and Its Depiction on the Nativity" by glass expert Julie Sloan. There will be talks on antique Nativities, cataloging, the wise men, local art that depicts the Nativity and a demonstration of how to make Christmas Kristollen bread.