These 2.5 inch diameter Gold Ball Christmas Ornaments are decorated with shards of gold glass. Between the glass shards there is red and gold iridescent glitter. These beautiful balls hang by nearly invisible fishing line. Select this link to view our Gold Ornament and Red Christmas Ornaments.
The Star.
The star symbolizes the star that appeared, quite miraculously, in the eastern sky on the birth of Jesus Christ. The star is believed to have guided shepherds and the magi, who were the three wise men from the East, to the newborn king.
One wonders whether the star that shined that night was any different from those of today.
The star was indeed a strange star and people continue to believe that a miracle occurred at the birth of Christ.
The Christmas star continues to adorn the churches and houses as part of the traditional Christmas celebrations. The star stands for high hopes and ideals, a hope for a good fortune and to reach above oneself. Select this link to view our Crystal Christmas Ornaments and Silver.
The Christmas Crib.
In the year 1220 St, Francis of Assissi visited Bethlehem. He liked the way the Christmas was celebrated there so much, that he asked the Pope for permission to recreate it in his own Italian village.
He built a manger in a cave. In it he placed a stone image of the baby Jesus. He surrounded the manger with real animals. Then he said a Mass (communion). The people found it so moving that they said it was possible to believe you were there at the actual birth of Jesus.
Before long, wooden nativity scenes were displayed in churches and homes across Europe. Today they continue to be popular as a way of reminding us of what Christmas is really about, the birth of Jesus.
The tradition was brought into Spain from Naples during the reign of Charles III of Spain.
In Catalonia, a figure is included that represents a Catalan peasant.
In Provence, in the South of France, nativity scenes are sometimes made up of hundreds of small painted clay figurines called Santon. They represent all the traditional trades and professions of old Provence. Because of their cultural value the Santons are often collected as art or craft objects, regardless of their possible use in a nativity scene.
A nativity scene, also called a crib or crèche, generally depicts the birth or birthplace of Jesus. Nativity scenes, in two dimensions or three, usually show Jesus in a manger, with Joseph, and Mary in a barn intended for the housing of animals. A mule, ox, sheep, and sometimes other barnyard animals, surround them. The scene sometimes includes three wise men, shepherds, angels and the Star of Bethlehem. Select this link to view our Gold and Cream Ornaments.