10 Maltese hand-made cribs selected for display at Washington’s Museum of the Bible
A total of 10 Maltese hand-made cribs have been selected for display at Washington DC’s Museum of the Bible between 16th November 2020 until March 2021. Coolio!
Last July, the Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government teamed up with the Museum of the Bible to host an exhibition contest of cribs handcrafted by local artists, and now, 10 finalists have been chosen for the ‘Christmas in Malta’ exhibition.
The press release announcing the selection shared some interesting information on the history behind this Maltese custom. St Paul is credit with bringing the gospel and hence Christianity to the Maltese Islands. For centuries we’ve celebrated Christmas by crafting Nativity cribs for displays within residential homes, in churches and even on larger scales in the streets.
According to the Ambassador of Malta to the United States, Keith Azzopardi, the earliest known Maltese Nativity was built in 1617 at the Dominican Friars Church in Rabat. However, the crib-building tradition began to flourish during the 1800s and early 1900s, and obviously, is now part of our Christmas culture.
“Through this exhibition, we are providing the opportunity for Maltese and Gozitan artists, works, and craftsmanship to be recognized for their intrinsic cultural and religious value around the world,” Minister Jose Herrera said.
Museum visitors and social media followers are also invited to participate in selecting a winning Nativity, which will be permanently part of the museum’s collections. The nine other finalists will continue to be showcases locally and internationally throughout 2021.
“We are excited to showcase these beautiful Maltese and Gozitan Nativity scenes at the museum,” said Jeffrey Kloha, Ph.D., chief curatorial officer for Museum of the Bible. “I believe visitors will enjoy seeing how the Christmas story is told through this rich tradition.”