The Frog Blog of<br>Louis la Vache: <i>Noël en la France: la Crèche</i>

Crèche dans une église One of the great traditions du Noël in the home en la France is la crèche, the crib or manger. Around la crèche are placed santons, "little saints," which are figures of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, animals, and the Wise Men. Since the Middle Ages, la crèche has been displayed in churches during the period from Christmas Eve to le 6 janvier, la fête de l'épiphanie- the 12 days of Christmas. The custom was originated by none other than St. Francis of Assisi in 1223 at Gréccio, Italy. From the church, the custom spread to the home. La crèche in France is a more important custom than l'arbre de Noël, the Christmas tree. The santon representing the baby Jesus is not placed into la crèche until la nuit de Noël, Christmas Eve. Often the honor of placing baby Jesus in the crib is reserved for the youngest child of the family. One little French town, Aubagne, in the south of France in Provence, has become famous world-wide for its production of the little clay figures made by craftsmen throughout the year. Aubagne is a modest little town about halfway between Marseilles and Aix-en Provence. Aubagne is also the home of the French Foreign Legion. In addition to the usual Holy Family, shepherds, and Magi, the craftsmen also produce figures in the form of local dignitaries and characters. The craftsmanship involved in creating the gaily colored santons is quite astounding and the molds have been passed from generation to generation. Provencal santons are made from the fine clay, argile, found in the area between Marseilles and Aubagne. Two-piece plaster molds made from original carvings are filled with the clay for molding. The piece is removed from the mold for painting before being dried and baked. After the santon is baked, it is hand painted with great care.

Santons, fresh from their molds, await painting. In addition to those made in Aubagne, santons are made as a cottage industry practiced by artisans in some of the smaller villages in the Beyond region of Provence. You can find santons in village shops and ateliers, and often in the markets.

Santon d'un berger, shepherd. Throughout novembre et décembre the figures are sold at annual foires aux santons, "little saints fairs," especially in Marseille and Aix. The tradition of the foire aux Santons was begun by Jean Louis Lagnel in 1803. In 1789, during the French Revolution, the churches were closed, depriving the population of crèches to observe and depriving crèche makers of their market. Jean-Louis Lagnel (1764-1822) of Marseilles, who made molded figurines for the church crèches, decided to make the santons for the general population, at a price they could afford. Santons for the public became an instant success, and an industry (and tradition) was born. From Lagnel's first foire aux Santons in Marseille, the santon fairs spread throughout Provence. The original Marseille santon fair is still in existance, from the end of November to Twelfth Night (Epiphany). In many churches in France, la crèche is outside and thus quite large. It is not uncommon for these outdoor crèches vivantes to have members of the parish represent the figures of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.