Kultura

Nativity scenes celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus have a long tradition in the Czech lands, dating back to 1560, when the first such scene was introduced here by the Jesuits at their college, the Clementinum, across from the Charles Bridge in Prague. Records of the Nativity scene were lost so we will never be sure what it really looked like, but it is fairly safe to assume the scene included traditional elements including a grotto, the original manger, farm animals, and baby Jesus himself. The scene, called "Betlem" in Czech, after Bethlehem, inspired countless copies at churches and monasteries throughout the Czech lands.