Our Santons
Where do they come from?
The word "santon"
means "little saint", and is a provencal word. St Francis
of Assisi whose mother was from Provence, organized the first
representation of the Nativity with living people 800 years ago.
Then, the clay painted santons appeared in the churches.
In France, Revolution closed the
churches, and people of Provence, unable to worship in the churches
for Christmas made for themselves the SANTONS. They usually are
little painted clay figurines, and they represent the people of
the villages, and also the ones from the Bible such as Nativity.
The provencal legend says that
Jesus was born....in Provence, and then, it is normal for the
provencal people to be present in the Nativity scene. And more...,
each villager of Provence pretends that Jesus was born in his
village. It is the reason why Christmas celebration is so important
in Provence.
We guarantee that our santons
are made in Provence by real artisans in their workshop. These
clay figurines belong to Provence, and we do not want to order
them from any other region.
Let us explain you rapidly the different steps of the making of
a santon.
The making
A first sample is sculpted in
a block of clay.
Then, the santon maker makes a 2-part mold in plaster, around
this first sample. This mold will be used to make all the other
santons .
Each santon will be made, using a block of clay, pressed in the
2-part mold. After having been pressed, the clay santon is carefully
taken out of the mold, and needs to dry about 2 days. All the
little defaults are corrected by hand.
Then, the santons are placed in a kiln to be gradually heated
to 1750 °F and stays 12 hours at that temperature.
Then, the kiln gradually cools
for another 12 hour period.
Only after that time, it is opened, and the santons will go to
the last step...the painting, which is only hand made. For that
step, the santon maker is sometimes helped by persons working
from home, or art students, especially before the holiday season.
This explains the small differences you can find in the decoration
of the santons
Display your Nativity
as we do in Provence
The display of the Nativity, an
800 year old tradition, has become codified over the ages.
It is an occasion of good family
time, starting December 6th.
The creche (manger) is set with
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, ox, donkey, and angel. That is the first
setting. In some families, Jesus was added only on Christmas day.
Also, the Wise men, are sometimes added only for Epiphany. But,
more and more often, there are displayed at the first setting.
Then, the closest santon is the
“Ravi”. He is the simpleton of the village, protected
by the villagers, and thought to be close from God’s Heart.
This character is absolutely mandatory in any creche, as are the
shepherds, and sheep. And about the sheep, in many families, a
sheep is designated to represent each child of the family. And
when the creche is settled, they stand far from the stable. And
every evening, if the children have been nice during the day,
each sheep comes closer, to be very close from Jesus on Christmas
Eve, and so, the child represented by the sheep is allowed to
receive some gifts for Christmas. If not……
But be sure that in any case,
all the sheep are around the creche for Christmas Eve.
Then, are displayed all the villagers, coming to visit Jesus,
bringing the gifts from their trade. In addition to the traditional
jobs usually represented, it is a good occasion to show the different
trades and hobbies of the family members, and friends; Woman knitting,
hunter, angler, gardener, etc….
Your creche may be very simple,
and display only the santons, and the stable. But, you can create
a decor for your creche, using specific accessories such houses,
bridges, walls, etc, ..We give you some examples in this catalog.
Use your imagination, and if you
wish some help, do not hesitate to call us (1-866-841-2188)
See
our selection