Were you in a school Nativity?
Posted by Ellee on Dec 12, 2006 in updates | 19 commentsOne play which I enjoy so much each year is the Nativity, it’s impossible not to smile at the innocence of excited young children as they grapple 
with the halos, crowns or tea towels adorning their heads.
But one school in Norwich is giving it a miss this year, focusing instead on multicultural celebrations like the Jewish holiday Hanukkah and the Hindu festival of Diwali, much to the disappointment of some parents who are threatening not to send their children to school on the day of the performance.
What a sad day it is if we deny our young children the opportunity to experience the joy of participating in a Nativity.
On Christmas Eve, the church in my next village stages a totally spontaneous and unrehearsed Nativity each year. All the children are allocated costumes as they arrive, they are dressed as angels, kings or shepherds, with the newest baby and parents playing the roles of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The belfry is converted into a stable and young animals surround the stable. It is so magical.
I wonder how many of you had roles to play in school Nativities, what are your memories from those days? I was an angel, of course, though my halo has since slipped once or twice, perhaps you was too, or maybe a shepherd, or even one of the animals, it would be fun to hear what role you played.
I played just about everyone in Nativity plays during my childhood (bar the angels, May, Baby Jesus, and sheep). Bear in mind I was in Sunday school nativity plays as well!
i don’t recall being involved in a nativity play during my earlier school years, but has have something to do around a crib in a Sunday School (my father was a lay priest, so I can’t imagine that I was left out.)
More recent experiences at the school of my own children has left me wondering just what has gone wrong with British society in respect of the steady destruction of our Christian traditions which we learned to love. Whilst the amount of Christian content in the school’s act of daily worship is protected by statute, it appears that the traditional nativity play is not!
My mum is still angry with my primary school headmistress for her early political correctness. I was never in a nativity play and nor was my sister.
The delight I have seen on parent’s faces this year telling me that their child is to be a sheep or angel is beyond description. It is hollow and cruel to deny that to parents…
And this coming from an educational secularist… Where’s my consistency?
It’s enough to make you cringe. What’s the point of getting Christian children in “the” Christian country to play act Hannukah or Diwali. What is up with people in authority today?
Look by all means get along representatives of the Jewish, Hindu and other faiths to explain about their respective festivals but to “ram” it down the throats of impressionable youngsters is ridiculous.
In the end they’ll become less tolerant of others.
Utter stupidity this “diversity education”.
You’re not going to believe this but I was one of the wisemen – the one with the Myrrh. One of the best parts, you’d probably agree, is when the first classers speak their lines with those high little voices, loud and slow and with the occasional error for light relief. “Oh, Ma-ry, let’s ask here.” “Yes, let’s” “We need somewhere to stay, Inn-kee-per.” “Sor-ry, there’s no room” Then total silence because Joseph had forgotten what to say and urgent whispered prompting was coming from behind the screen.
Welshcakes, I imagine you made a stunning cuckoo, not many can stake that claim to fame.
Man in a Shed, the name of the school is in one of the links, it is the Knowland Grove Community First School in Norwich. Fancy being King Herod, but then I guess someone had to.
The school nativity gives a huge boost the the chidren involved and lets not forget the parents. I used to love waatching them fight for the front row seats at my childrens plays, often just as entertaining
How awful that political correctness has done so much harm to the school nativity.
Take a look at the blog of our mutual friend Nic. She has two videos of her daughter singing in the school choir. It’s wonderful.
I was twice King Herod at Christmas and Judas Iscariot at the Easter play (aged about 9). (A message from my teachers coming through there!).
One of the girls in my class was Jesus – and was very worried I would kiss her hand in the betrayal part – so wanted me to put my thumb in from of my hand to avoid that yucky bit.
(By the way denying kids a Nativity play is crass Anti-English and Anti-Christian spite – I hope that school is told that. You should name the school and the head master so we can all write to him – email would be best ).
As far as I remember…
Aged 4 – the Angel Gabriel. The only one with a speaking part in the whole thing don’t ya know
Aged 8 – One of the Kings. They inexplicably decided to make me the “black” King, and to use shoe polish to that end. Since at that time my hair was very ginger and just wouldn’t be hidden, I have been told it was a sight to behold.
Aged 9 – I can’t remember what I was; that was the year we had an alien in the Nativity. I only remember that one because I loved the cardboard rocket made for him.
Aged 10 – The innkeeper, in a rockin’ rolling musical nativity. I really wanted to be King Herod though.
Good times. I may be a secularist but even I can see that it’s a fun, quaint and harmless tradition. It’s a shame some schools are not doing it.
As I’ve said on my blog, I found a photo of a school nativity play in which I had to be a cuckoo! [This was so that we could sing "From Out of a Wood Did a Cuckoo Fly" - I never did figure out what it had to do with anything.] I think it’s nice to celebrate and teach children about other faiths, but let’s not forget our own culture! The unrehearsed nativity play in your nearby village sounds lovely, Ellee.
Curmudgeon, Yes, I read that post about the rabbi, very interesting. We haven’t had that kind of incident here – yet.
I used to be in one every year. I was once a wiseman (still am too) then a shepherd then other things which I can’t quite remember.
I guess I can understand not doing a Nativity play, particularly in a public school, in an area that may not be entirely Christian. It hasn’t happened in an American public school in years.
Although every night now on my way to the Subway, I walk through the Christkindl Market in the Daley Center Plaza. There’s a large Nativity Scene at one end, near the Subway entrance. There’s a huge Crescent at one corner of the Plaza, too, setting out the “pillars” of Islam. At the end of the week, there’ll be a giant Menorah for Hannukah, too.
I know people grouse about all this religious display here, but I like to think that the atheists have something too: All the empty space between the exhibits…. That’s the way it should be done in the schools, too, everyone’s included.
But did you see the story out of Seattle recently? A local rabbi wanted a Menorah included among the Christmas trees displayed at the airport, and threatened to sue when the airport refused. And instead of adding the Menorah, the airport officials took down the trees. The rabbi says he is “appalled” by this; that’s not what he intended at all.
I was a shepherd in the only nativity play I can remember.
The school should be ashamed of themselves for not celebrating Christmas through a nativity play. We are still nominally a Christian country, after all! It’s not like it isn’t even hard to work the other celebrations into the same play – the infant school where my mum teaches does that every year!
“What a sad day it is if we deny our young children the opportunity to experience the joy of participating in a Nativity.”
*vomits*
I too was an angel (I had lovely long blonde hair) and my father used to take great pride in ensuring I had the best wings possible – fancy tinsle and beautifully made. My brother was always the shepherd with the dressing gown and tea-towel of course.
What I don’t understand is that if schools are being multicultural, why the nativity play can’t be part of that. It can also be used to teach children about geography, working together, making costumes, animal husbandry, pregnancy even!! plus many other lessons rather than being seen as simply about Christian religion.
Louise, What a shame, you could have been a star instead of a sheep! My son was an icicle once in a play, can you imagine that!
The thing is, this kind of play is usually only performed up to primary school age, once they are past it, they don’t often get another chance. Kids love it, and parents do too.
Because I was so small I got to play one of the shepherd’s sheep. Resplendent in a cotton wool costume. I think I always felt a little dismayed that I didn’t get a speaking part