Good News and Cardboard Wings: Children’s Christmas Pageants Around the World

Two millennia ago, a group of hardworking animal herders and a small-time cabinetmaker and his bride could never have imagined that countless children and adults would one day dress up in costumes and portray them in front of audiences on every continent.

According to some historians, the first live Nativity scene was organized by St. Francis of Assisi in the village of Greccio, Italy, in 1223. It featured villagers playing Mary and Joseph and even included a live ox and donkey.

In medieval Europe, where most people couldn’t read, plays based on Bible stories were popular and widespread.

Today, Nativity plays, or Christmas pageants, can be huge affairs with elaborate sets and casts of hundreds. In Townsville, Australia, the annual Stable on the Strand creates a life-size Bethlehem that visitors can walk through.

The children’s novel “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” has been a popular holiday read since the ’70s.

There have even been Hollywood movies.

But some of the most beloved Christmas pageants are still those performed at the front of a church by fidgety children in homemade costumes.

The star in the East waits patiently while these Kenyan Magi question Herod.

Let the Little Children Come

At OneChild Hope Centers across Africa, Asia and Latin America, many children each year take on the solemn and adorable mission of reenacting the most important event in human history.

Heather Trotta writes, “I don’t imagine angels crying and running back to loving parents’ arms on that very first Christmas, or sheep making funny faces while being too shy to “baa,” but it’s the imperfections in our retelling of the very human story of Christ’s birth that makes our play so perfect.”*

We hope you’ll enjoy these beautiful images of imperfectly perfect performances gathered from our Hope Centers through the years.

Latin America: Journey to the Manger

In Honduras and other parts of Latin America, people dressed as Mary and Joseph re-create the journey to the stable in a tradition called “Las Posadas” (The Inns). For nine days before Christmas, they lead a singing procession through towns along the way, stopping at various homes, where they are turned away until they reach one that welcomes them to stay the night. An evening of Scripture reading, food and fun follows.

Most schools and churches perform Christmas pageants, and carol singing is a part of the performance. At their Hope Centers, kids don’t have to travel quite so far as the Las Posadas participants to be welcomed at the stable.

Watch to the end for a surprising and fun close to this traditional Nativity pageant put on by kids at a OneChild Hope Center in Honduras.

Andrea, a Child Champion in Honduras, tells us that some churches in her country also tell the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, reminding us of the reason for His birth.

Feisty Sheep: An African Christmas Pageant

In some rural parts of Kenya, animal herding is central to everyday life, and boys begin herding their family’s cattle from a young age. So shepherds abiding in the fields are relatable characters in the story, and the sheep tend to be enthusiastic and vocal performers.

Dancing and food are also important parts of celebrations at Hope Centers in Kenya, often including a Christmas cake.

Kids from a Hope Center in Kenya share their favorite Christmas traditions of faith, food and family. 

Ethiopia follows the Coptic calendar, so they celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, though Hope Centers hold their Christmas parties in advance. An interesting local tradition holds that the three wise men who visited Jesus came from Ethiopia and drank Ethiopian coffee (a cultural staple) to stay awake during their long journey.

Throughout Ethiopia, you’ll see many women and children adorned in “yehager libs” or “habesha libs,” traditional garments made of delicate, hand-woven cotton that are often worn for Christmas and other special occasions. In rural areas, children like to play “Ye Genna Chewata,” a game similar to field hockey played with a wooden ball that’s especially popular during the Christmas season.

At our Hope Centers in Ethiopia, the Christmas story is often told through song and dance.

This youth performs a dance to a song proclaiming the great news of the birth of Jesus, to the delight of families and community members who have gathered to watch.

Asia: A Tapestry of Culture

One of the beautiful aspects of Jesus’ birth is that He came for people everywhere. In many parts of the world, you’ll see delightful cultural influences in the costumes of the Nativity characters. This is a moving indication that children see Jesus not as a foreigner but as part of their own culture — a friend they can relate to.

Churches in Bangladesh put on Christmas pageants on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day before the church service, with parents joining in on occasion. These short plays are called “Borodiner Natika” in Bengali, meaning “Christmas Short Drama.”

In India, many distinctive cultural elements make for rich and diverse Christmas plays. Regional songs and dances are incorporated into the performance, along with local costumes. Indian instruments, like “tables” or sitars, and hymns sung in local languages make the story relatable to the audience.

Living in the foothills of the Himalayas, children at this Hope Center in Darjeeling, India, envision a wintry setting and bundled-up shepherds.

Children in India putting on a pageant with a distinctively Indian flare.

With hundreds of languages spoken throughout the country, the Christmas story is told in many tongues. In Tamil, spoken in the south, the Christmas play is sometimes called the “Yesu Kristhu Pirappu Nadagam,” translated as “Jesus Christ’s Birth Play.” These Nativity plays are an essential part of the Christmas celebration in Christian communities across India.

“These plays beautifully blend the story of Christ’s birth with India’s diverse cultural expressions, making them unique and memorable,” says Judith, a Child Champion in India. “It is our hope and prayer that you are able to attend one of the Christmas programs at our Hope Centers so you can experience the joys of Christmas, Indian style!”

The Philippines has a long history of faith in Christ that is evident in the months-long observance of Christmas. In the Tagalog language, the Nativity scene that often appears in a church or plaza is called the “Belen” — Bethlehem. Such scenes are a cherished holiday tradition, and families sometimes set up their own Belen at home.

A girl with long hair is usually chosen to play Mary in Christmas pageants, and songs like “Joy to the World” and “O Holy Night” are incorporated into the drama.

“Everything included in the story [is] based on the Bible,” says Lyza, a teacher and Child Champion in the Philippines, “from the prophecy of conceiving the Messiah by the virgin birth to the visitation of the shepherds and the wise men.”

In Cambodia, where less than 3% of the population is Christian, a Christmas pageant can be fresh and exciting. Some of the families who gather to watch may be hearing the story for the first time.

Whether you enjoy a Christmas pageant this year, watch the story on the big screen or read the original account in the pages of Scripture, we hope the birth of Jesus — Emmanuel, God with us — will fill you with a fresh sense of childlike wonder.

And we hope you’ll see yourself as a part of that story.

Want a little more international Christmas cheer? Enjoy these Christmas songs in Hindi.

Bring lasting joy to a child in poverty this Christmas by becoming a sponsor today. 

*Trotta, H. (Dec. 22, 2023) The Perfect Imperfections of a Children’s Nativity Pageant. America Magazine  https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2023/12/22/nativity-pagaent-christmas-children-mass-246765 accessed Dec. 11, 2024