Guide · Christmas
The Christmas crib: from St Francis at Greccio to the Irish home
Every crib on every Irish sideboard goes back to one night in an Italian hill town, when St Francis of Assisi wanted to see with his own eyes how the Child of Bethlehem was laid in a manger.
Greccio, Christmas 1223
At Christmas 1223, St Francis of Assisi was at Greccio, in the valley of Rieti. His first biographer, Thomas of Celano, tells how Francis asked a friend to prepare a manger, with hay, and to bring an ox and a donkey, so that he could see “with bodily eyes” the poverty in which the Lord was born. On Christmas night the friars and the people came with candles and torches; Mass was celebrated over the manger, and Francis, a deacon, sang the Gospel and preached.
From that night the custom spread through the Franciscans and beyond. Pope Francis went to Greccio in 2019 to sign his apostolic letter on the crib, Admirabile Signum, in which he asks families to keep the custom of setting up a crib at home: “a living Gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture.”
The crib in Ireland
Most Irish homes once had a crib, and many still do: on the sideboard, under the tree or on the window sill, often with figures handed down for generations and a chipped ox nobody would dream of replacing. Parish cribs, and the large cribs in towns and cities, are a fixture of the season.
Several Irish customs gather around it. On Christmas Eve, a candle is lit in the window to welcome the Holy Family, who found no room at the inn; traditionally the youngest child lights it. The figure of the Infant is often kept back until Christmas Eve or Christmas night and laid in the manger then. And in many homes the three Kings start at the far side of the room and move a little closer each day, to arrive on 6 January, the Epiphany — Little Christmas, or Nollaig na mBan, Women’s Christmas.
Setting up a crib at home
Choose a place
Somewhere the family passes and can kneel or stand for a moment: a low table, a sideboard, a deep window sill. Out of reach of the dog and the toddler, if you can.
Build the stable
A wooden stable is traditional, but a box, a bit of bark or a shelf with straw works too. Add hay or moss — keep it well away from candles and lights.
Place the figures in stages
The ox and ass and shepherds early in Advent; Mary and Joseph on their way; the Infant on Christmas Eve; the Kings on 6 January.
Have it blessed
The Book of Blessings includes an order for blessing a Christmas crib, and many priests will bless one at home or after Mass. A family can also gather and pray before it on Christmas Eve.
Pray there
A carol, a Gospel reading on Christmas Eve, a Hail Mary at night — children remember the crib far longer than the presents.
Nativity sets and figures
Nativity sets, single figures and the Holy Family, as they stand in the catalogue today.
Choosing a crib to keep
A good crib becomes a family heirloom, so it is worth choosing one you will want to see every Christmas for forty years. Painted figures are the usual choice for a home crib; for a parish or an outdoor crib, size matters more than detail — figures have to read from across a church or a street. Our Christmas nativity sets page goes into sizes for home, church and outdoor cribs.
Resin goes by post anywhere in Ireland for one flat charge per order. If you need a crib for a particular date, order early, and see shipping and returns for how dispatch works.
Questions people ask
When should the crib go up?
Many families set it up at the start of Advent, with the manger empty, and lay the Infant in it on Christmas Eve or Christmas night. Others put it up in the week before Christmas.
When should the crib come down?
Usually after the Epiphany (6 January) or at the end of the Christmas season with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. An older custom keeps it until Candlemas, the feast of the Presentation, on 2 February.
Who made the first crib?
St Francis of Assisi, at Greccio in Italy, at Christmas 1223, as told by his biographer Thomas of Celano.
Why is a candle lit in the window on Christmas Eve?
It is an old Irish custom of welcome for Mary and Joseph, who found no room at the inn; traditionally the youngest child of the house lights it.
Can a crib be blessed?
Yes. The Book of Blessings has an order for blessing a Christmas crib, and some parishes bless the Infant figures from family cribs at a Mass in Advent. See blessing a statue.
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