While Mexican folks long ago adopted the foreign custom of putting up Christmas trees, many still cherish the nacimiento (nativity scene) as the principal decorative feature in both family homes and public places.
The focal point, of course, is the rustic stable where Mary and Joseph take shelter to hover over the manger bed of the Christ Child. The principal figures are accompanied by an angel, the ox, the ass and typical barnyard beasts. The surrounding landscape is filled with shepherds and their flocks, the Wisemen of the Orient traveling to Bethlehem by camel, elephant and horseback, and ordinary folks and animals gathered to adore the baby Jesus.
Foreigners may be perplexed by several peculiarities of the nacimiento. For one thing, the scenery is not necessarily static. The Christ Child remains conspicuously absent, unborn until the final hours of Christmas Eve. The Magi and other figures may be moved to different spots as the holiday season progresses.
Strange additions are images of a humble hermit and a grotesque Lucifer that often appear lurking in the background to symbolize the eternal conflict between good and evil.
Typical household decorations range from a basic nacimiento laid out at the foot of the arbol de navidad (Christmas tree) to elaborate landscapes filling an entire room, patio or carport. The huge display set up at the Auditorio de la Ribera in La Floresta goes all out, portraying biblical history from Creation to the Resurrection.
Not to be missed are the nacimientos Vivientes, ephemiral scenes portrayed by live people and animals that replicate the representation the Nativity originated by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223 (see box above).