Nativity display a southwest Alberta holiday favourite
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints worked hard over the weekend to put on a unique display of about 500 different nativity set-ups at their church for people in the community to observe and get into the holiday spirit with their annual Festival of Nativities.
The free community inclusive event has been running for the last four years and began with the idea to bring people together under one roof to spread the love and cheer the church has for the Christmas season.
“Four years ago, this was somebody’s vision to have a community event where the entire community could come and share the Christmas spirit with us,” says Rita Peterson, Festival of Nativities Organizer.
“We wanted to do something that was unique and very user friendly, non-threatening and welcoming and just something that tells people about how we feel about the saviour.”
Every year, the Festival of Nativities has grown in size as it has grown in popularity, bringing between three and four thousand people over the weekend. With more exhibits being added, the festival takes three days to put together for people to see a variety of nativity sets made out of various materials and in different interpretations.
“This display, every year has gotten a little bit bigger and each room represents something different,” says Peterson. “The entire gym is done in biblical decor, representing the time of the saviour. One room represents the temple and another room represents a Christ home which is done in victorian decor which is amazing.”
Along with the nativity displays, families were able to dress up in Biblical costumes and have their photo taken for their own nativity scene.
The Nativity Festival also added three more community concerts from last year, for five shows at the church to bring people even closer to the magic of Christmas time.