Szopka krakowska

Krakow's Nativities

Krakow has many traditions special to it alone. The Christmas szopki are one. They look like a fairyland castles, and you have to search to find the Bethlehem scene which it is centered on, but it is a folk art that is unique to Krakow.

The tradition of cribs, or nativity building has a long history in Europe. But for the Cracovians, it was revived in 1937, with the announcement of a competition for the most beautiful crib in Krakow. Since then, with the exception of the war years 1939-1944, the cribs are gathered at the foot of Polish Poet Adam Mickiewiczs statue in the square. These nativities are modeled after the medieval, renaissance and baroque architecture of Krakow. You can pick out features of the Wawel castle and St. Mary's church in almost everyone, no matter how small.

These past winners are on display in the mall. Keith and I went to a museum that has this years szopki. Some are very small, like the little one I purchased at the market, and several are huge, 5 or 6 feet tall.

The details are amazing, considering that they are made out of cardboard and colored foil. Some have engineered lights and moving parts into their designs. And in addition to the Holy Family, you can find chimney sweeps, Santa Claus, the devil, a skeleton representing Death, the trumpeter of St. Mary's, more on that legend in another post, the Wawel dragon -they cram a lot into these sculptures!

When we were at the museum it was fun to watch the kids reactions to seeing these fanciful buildings. At times I thought the docents were going to fuss, but the kids managed to restrain themselves. Watching them peering into the nooks and crannies to see the tiny figures, was good for Keith and I. Brings us back to the wonder of the season, seeing it through a child's eye.