Father João Torres
Parish of São Tiago of Priscos | Organization committee of the Live Nativity Scene
The nativity scene it’s still one of the main Christmas symbols all over the world, and Portugal doesn’t looses sight of tradition. This is the 9th consecutive year and we don’t have doubts to say that the biggest live nativity scene in Europe is located, in Priscos, in the north of the country. Is the biggest free admission Christmas themed event in the world.
The Live Nativity Scene of Priscos is a trip to the time of Jesus to understand more than to see. Is acknowledging the present more than remembering the past. Is to let the divine making us full with Him and everything becomes like before… The profound desire of each edition of the nativity is to reduce or eliminate those distances that represents a true menace to isolation and loneliness of every single member of our community. Therefore, the main objective is to create a link of “relations” that bring to communion between all. If in every edition we could reach one person, one simple person, and brought to her some kind of help, even for a brief moment, I believe that we have achieved the essence of objectives…
The true star in this nativity scene is the manger, with more than 10 meters wide, with the biblical figures of Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus, the cow and the donkey. Our ambition in every edition of this event, is not to add more extras, but to offer to make easier to meeting of people that are able to live like Jesus – a way of living: poor, simple, true, near people, dedicated, daring, able to fulfill justice, in search of truth, establish and to forge relations of fraternity! All this is possible for those who search a communion of life that knows how to unite the experience of God and the fatigue of history, the things from heaven and the passion for earth. The mission is fulfilled, by transmitting to all this “desire for communion”, in a true, free and faithful way.
In that village there is a voyage that is made more from the inside, than walking around it. There are faces of people that shape life in a cry for Christmas, that is only heard in silence, chewing hope and giving smiles to feed. It’s a cry that wants to hear the cry of silent voices, to make the war of the non violent, that is called fraternity, solidarity… It was because, of that that God, was born, to teach every single of us to look to our fellows not as a foreign, but as a brother…
In front of colours and smells the visitor gets used to that piece of Christmas, full of people embraced, caught, taken, captivated, by the newborn God of Bethlehem. This is about letting yourself to be involved by those lifes with a face of mission, where everyone is giving their best to MAKE CHRISTMAS! Not has something lost in past, nor has a utopia of the future that will never come. Make Christmas is to mingle with other people giving the best that you got, never looking back or stay in the remains of the time that you never have…