While I wrap 20 nativity figures and 30 sheep in the already fragile tissue paper, it suddenly occurs to me that the house nativity scene "used to be".. Only after the light-measuring day (2. February). Our crib is about 90 years old, no yes, there derf ma net wundarn that with an angel the hand is missing and some three-legged sheep leans on a shepherd who has blob more an arm. The figures were created around 1925, molded in plaster, but dressed in clothes made of "real" material fabric. These were then sprinkled with an agent that made them stiff and durable – to this day!
The history of the crib not only reflects the eventful history of the family, but also a piece of contemporary history. When josef (my husband) was born in the middle of the 20s, his father was the stationmaster of the neuenmarkt-wirsberg junction in the frankenwald. He had become catholic during his first marriage and thereupon his parents and his six brothers had broken with him.
Where to find a godfather for josefla? In the family of his second wife there was "only women! The parish priest in charge of marktschorgast offered to act as sponsor. But for that he needed the approval of the archbishop of bamberg.
No, that’s the kind of patn mancha would like to see! He showered the boy with gifts: the nativity scene, to which a few figures were added every year, an electric train, and for every birthday a solid silver cutlery set. The connection did not break even when the family moved to bamberg – first to an apartment in the train station under the clock, then to the new house in the seelgass. Three years later the father died. The crib was of course set up every year and when bombs also fell in bamberg towards the end of the second world war, it was packed into a suitcase that was kept in the cellar.
On 22. February 1945 the house, which was only ten years old, was completely destroyed by two bombs. The widow stood with three of her children – josef was already at the front at the age of 19 – in front of the pile of rubble and had nowhere to go. In bamberg they couldn’t find an apartment, so they had to move to a little village in the steigerwald. Only after their return in autumn they began to dig and dig and penetrated into the cellar: the boxes deposited there were intact and – oh miracle – also the crib in the old suitcase!
Ten years after the destruction, the house was rebuilt – without any financial support from the state (which meant paying off 33 years of debts)!). Now the nativity scene was rebuilt for christmas: with a tree root hollow as a stable. This is how they knew josef’s four children from an early age.
No, and here I also have a clear picture of 1978, but it’s really nice! Our two sons, then 16 and 12 years old, were just at the critical age when you want to do everything differently. On the day of the epiphany we left for a winter walk, they absolutely did not want to come with us: "mia bleibn lieba dahamm"!" When we came back with the two younger daughters, they began to complain: "look at the view of the manger!! What the two oogestellt hom, everything durchananda! That is certainly an orcha sund!" The two ubeltaters had sunk the crib baby in the draw well – in the crib lay the shepherd dog! The sheep tried to climb over the fence and the conies ran away behind the barn.
The girls expected a highly embarrassing investigation with accusations and punishments. The father was just starting a rough thunder storm when his eyes fell on the poor dog in the manger. He had to laugh: "the manger has experienced so much in 90 years – it will cope with it!"
