Nativity scenes in Rome’s churches

If you are in Rome in the period of around December 1st till January 6th you will be able to see lots of nativity scenes in all the churches of Rome. Every church in the city will have its own display of the birth of Jesus.

There is a great variety in the scale of the nativity scenes – some are quite small and basic but you might find bigger ones at certain places – like the Church of Saint Peter or on the Spanish Steps. One of the more kitschy ones is found on Piazza Venetia with a big light display at night.

So when you jump inside the different churches have a look around and see which of the displays you prefer.

In 1038 the name Christmas is recorded for the first time. There are no official record of the birthday of Jesus. It is most likely he was born between the year 7 BC and 2 BC. Traditionally in the western Christian church his birth is celebrated the 25th of December. But there are no evidence of this date being his actually birthday. It is more likely the date has been chosen so it corresponds with the Roman midwinter celebration. It also corresponds with the traditional Norse Yule-feast which is still used as a name of Christmas in Denmark and Norway.