Christmas village figurines - Mr Jourdan

The genuine santons of Provence are shaped in clay and painted by hand. It’s a French craft, coming from an ancient tradition. This tradition of Provencal creche continues today in southern France, where the influence of Occitan culture remains. There’s a strong concentration of santonniers in Aubagne, Marseille, Aix en Provence and Arles.

The French word santon comes from the Provencal santoun which means "little saint". Originally, the living cribs were intended to recreate the scene of the Nativity in the churches, and since the Middle Ages under St. Francis of Assisi. But the French revolution banned them in public, which led families to use dummy figurines to continue the tradition in their homes.

These characters were made of different materials (paper mache, breadcrumbs, plaster). In Marseille, in the nineteenth century, the competition of Neapolitan merchants who sold santibelli, has generated a resistance from the Provencal santonniers. The latter imposed the cooked clay and proposed their creations on markets of santons. These are still very popular today, in parallel with the Christmas markets.

Originally, it was Saint Francis of Assisi who, in 1223, staged a representation of the nativity with real characters and animals (living crib).

It was not until the beginning of 1800 that cribs reappeared in churches (after the ban by the French Revolution). At that time, a Marseillais, named Louis Lagnel, had the idea to model the characters of the nativity in clay, and to create molds to reproduce his models in series. He also represented the people who lived around him, the baker, the grinder ... The first santon and the Provençal crèche were born, and the Provençals contributed greatly to its expansion throughout France.

The Christmas crib must be "the reflection of oneself" !!! It is not a fixed tradition where you have to adhere to strict specifications. But on the contrary, you can, by creating it, give free rein to your imagination and integrate your personal touches according to your passions and desires. It begins to be installed on the first Sunday of the Advent period (the 4th Sunday before Christmas) and will be dismantled by candlelight on February 2.

The Christmas crib represents the life of a Provencal village and its inhabitants in the 18th century. So avoid representing all the professions, characters or animals that did not exist in a Provencal village at that time (footballer, lion, crocodile, etc.).

All the figurines in the manger must give the impression of advancing towards the baby Jesus, in order to bring him a present, and none must turn their backs on it.

Respect for proportions is very important ... Do not put a sheep larger than a character for example !!! Adapt the decorations and houses to the size of the chosen santons. A perspective can also be very interesting, when you have enough depth. The largest sizes of santons will be in front, and the smallest at the bottom, in height. To heighten your perspective you can use cardboard, stones, or kraft paper.

To make your decorations, use the elements which are found in nature: Moss, branch of cypress, olive tree, thyme or rosemary, stones, pebbles, cork bark, earth ... accessories, put a well, a bridge, a mill and a stable where the Nativity will be installed. You can also put cabins, country houses ... A river can be created with blue paper scratched with white paint or aluminum foil.

Good lighting will bring out the landscape, avoid multicolored garlands. You can also light your homes from the inside, trying to hide your bulbs as much as possible.

By respecting all this you will normally have a beautiful Christmas crib, made in the Provençal tradition.