Olive Wood Nativity Scenes, Sets, wooden Christmas Cribs and Wooden Holy Family figures

To see our beautiful range of cribs, nativity scenes and holy family figures in natural Olive Wood made in Bethlehem, click on the link above, or follow the menu on the left, selecting Christmas, and then Nativity scenes and figure

All of our wooden cribs and nativity scenes are hand crafted from the native Palestinian olive wood in Bethlehem. Operating in the very heart of the Holy Land, the Bethlehem Holy Star Olive Wood factory employs local craftsmen to hand carve all the figures and make the stables that make up our lovely range of nativity scenes. Each nativity set is carefully prepared and finished to ensure that you are delighted with the result and of course you also have a wonderful emblem of the Christmas story direct from Jesus' birth place.

Finished to a very high standard, our most popular Nativity Scene stands about 20" high and comprises the stable together with 13 pieces with which most people will be familiar when thinking of the nativity scene. The Baby Jesus is placed on a separate wooden crib, and around him are his parents, Mary and Joseph, a shepherd and the three wise men. In addition, there are four animals, two sheep and two cattle. The figures are all separate for you to position as you want, and to change as you wish. The baby Jesus is separate from his crib so that he can be added on Christmas night to signify his arrival on Earth. The stable is a separate construction, but still made entirely from olive wood.

Olive wood is very durable, and as such these nativity sets are strong and unlikely to get damaged easily. As a result they make both a wonderful gift, or a wonderful keepsake for the entire family and will undoubtedly re-appear year after year.

We also have a range of smaller cribs, and these nativity scenes come assembled as a single structure. The nativity scene still contains all the traditional figures you would expect to find as above, but because they are smaller, and subject more easily to being lost, they have been fixed in place and so the crib is supplied as a single peice. Nevertheless, they are still hand crafted and assembled, and provide a wonderful scene for you and the family to enjoy at Christmas.

For those that have a nativity scene already, or are looking for something a little different, we have a range of Holy Family figurines. These are all carved from a single piece of olive wood, and have beenthoughtfully designed to depict Joseph, Mary and Jesus together. They are quite beautiful, and will be treasured by anyone who is lucky enough to receive one, either as a purchse for themselves or as a gift.

The whole range can be found within our Christmas section, or by typing "nativity scenes", "Christmas Cribs" or "Holy Family figurines" into the "keywords search" box at the top left hand corner of any page.

Origins

Although the Christmas crib scene, or nativity scene speaks for itself in terms of meaning, the origin actually rests with the saint, St Francis of Assisi. In the year 1223 St Francis was visiting the town of Grecio in order to celebrate Christmas. In order to bring the celebrations to life and to excite the inhabitants of the little town, St Francis, following permission from the Pontiff, prepared a manger, and borrowed an Ox and an Ass from a local farmer, and placed them close to the manger. He placed statues of  Mary and Joseph by the manger and a doll in the manger to represent the baby Jesus. Further information can be found at http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/02ws/ws021212.htm

The shepherds and the three wise men have been added to this scene in the centuries that have followed, but essentially the nativity scenes that exist in so many family homes at Christmas time are derivations of the scene that St Francis of Assisi created all those years ago. There are many who put up their nativity scenes in the days leading up to Christmas, but have to wait until Christmas Day to add the figure of Jesus, as a symbol of the commemoration of His arrival on Earth.