The staying power of biblical dramas
It is that time of the year once again. Soon, Christmas will come. For me, it is a throwback to my schooldays when God was a real presence and did not necessarily dwell in temples or mosques or churches. With Christmas nearing, the atmosphere in the school became festive. The entire stage in the school, where the Nativity Scene was to be enacted, would be lit up with colourful festoons. The old costumes were pulled out of musty old wooden chests, washed, ironed and given a new look. A selection process would be on for the members of the Holy Family, the shepherds and the wise men.
The prettiest girl in junior school would be chosen to represent the Virgin Mother. She would be dressed in blue and pink with her hair flowing down her shoulders. Joseph, tall and gangly, with a beard that threatened to come off, would stand by her and the newborn. The newborn was a doll in swaddling clothes bought for the occasion after scouring the local market.
The coloured cardboard haloes around the demure holy family would be fixed with scotch tape. The stone slab in front was filled with fruit and bunches of lilies. In a corner of the stage, the star of Bethlehem winked precariously in a dark sky providing the trail of light for the three wise men of the East to come in search of the holy Babe. They came slowly, sedately, trying to look as wise as they could, laden with “frankincense, myrrh and gold”.
That would be the cue for the soulful strains of the song Silent Night, Holy Night in the mellifluous voices of young girls and boys. When it got over, the room was filled with enthusiastic claps for the actors.That was our tableau for Christmas. The audience, comprising parents and children, witnessed the midnight miracle of Christ.
Many little hands in the school, together with teachers and nuns made it a memorable occasion every year. Each year, the members of the Holy Family and the wise men would change but the tableau would be enacted with the same fervour. The children in the tableau would have grown old like Wendy in the story of Peter Pan but in memory they would forever be the children in the Nativity Scene.