Agnes Huynh Thi Nghiem, a 77-year-old widow who lives on her own, cheerfully sings Christmas carols as she admires a Nativity scene resting on the table in her modest home. The crèche depicts the ...

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV unveiled his first crèches, or Nativity scenes, as pope on Monday (Dec. 15), a longtime tradition signaling the start of Christmas festivities at the Vatican. The ...

If you traveled back to medieval Europe, 800 years ago, you’d recognize many of the ways we celebrate Christmas today. There would be lots of special foods and drinks, holly and evergreen decorations, ...

Editor's Note: Please click on the photo's arrow to peruse the images in our Nativity gallery. The Vatican unveiled its annual Nativity scene this Advent season, paying special tribute to the origins ...

As a boy, one of my Christmas chores was to make the little crèche that stood under our tree. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first Nativity scene in 1223, when he celebrated an ...

Today is the second Sunday of Advent. There are 17 days to go before Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, born, it's believed, to a poor, homeless, unwed virgin, in a manger — perhaps in Nazareth, ...

(RNS) For James Govan, Christmas starts before Thanksgiving and doesn’t end until early in February as he displays some of his 500 nativity scenes around his home in Arlington, Va. “I keep telling ...

The best nativity scene contest in Poland's historic royal capital Krakow has drawn artists for generations, in a Christmas tradition which is one of the city's greatest moments. The cribs are made ...

Nativity scenes that are a centuries-old Christmas tradition in Poland’s historic royal capital Krakow were granted UNESCO special status on Thursday, being added to its register of “Intangible ...

Pope Leo XIV unveiled his first crèches, or Nativity scenes, as pope on Monday (Dec. 15), a longtime tradition signaling the start of Christmas festivities at the Vatican. The crèche in St. Peter's ...