Build your own oriental nativity scenes

What you need:

• Styrofoam panels
• Base plate made of wood
• Hot glue gun
• Crib plaster
• Modeling bandages
• electr. fairy lights
• different paint colors
• Decoration material
• Nativity figurines

The oriental nativity scene differs from the conventional Christmas nativity scenes in its true-to-life replica of oriental stone walls with their gates and brick houses. Detailed features of the Far East are lovingly incorporated. Such nativity scenes are very expensive to buy in stores. They are made of plaster of paris, styrofoam, plastic, wood and various other materials. It is cheaper if you build your own oriental nativity scene according to your wishes.

The construction of oriental nativity scenes is not difficult

1. You should first make a sketch of your oriental nativity scene. Examples of what oriental nativity scenes could look like can be found in some handicraft books for Christmas nativity scenes, Hobby hobbyists are also happy to provide their finished nativity scenes with a photo for free on the Internet.
2. Get the materials you need from a craft store. Some materials such as B. Wood or styrofoam panels are available in hardware stores.
3. Make a template for your individual components from cardboard and transfer them to your styrofoam plate. Cut out the parts to scale.
4. Cut out windows, Doors, Goals or other details.


Carving - Instructions for creating the figures for a Christmas crib

You want to carve the figures for your nativity scene yourself, but you don't know ...

5. Now put all the pieces together. Use glue to secure it. But you can also use smaller nails that you stick into each other in the individual side elements. A small house or a wall can be put together quickly and easily.
6. If you want to illuminate your houses, you have to drill holes in the base plate in the appropriate places so that an electric light chain can be installed. Insert the fairy lights through the openings in advance before you attach the individual elements. (Attention: If your oriental nativity scene is equipped with electric fairy lights, never leave it glowing unattended.)
7. Now glue your finished oriental houses to your base plate with a hot glue gun. For this it is better to use a board made of solid wood as a base. This makes it easier for you to transport the finished crib later and move it to another location without it breaking apart.
8. Now you have to give your model nativity scene a face with a little creative skill and dress it up with bandages. If you need help with this, you can get tips from model railroad builders. For the environment, you can use structure paste or special crib plaster.
9. Let the plaster elements dry off before you continue working on them. Small details such as bricks can now be scratched into it.
10. To brush Apply the whole thing with a white undercoat as a primer. Then you can use colors typical for the Orient for the painting. It is best to use the colors oker, gray, terra and of course white. To achieve natural effects, small paint sponges are suitable. They give the whole thing a unique structure.

How to decorate your extraordinary Christmas decorations

1. Now add gravel for paths, dried moss, straw or wood for beams, etc. to your crib. Palm trees are typical of an oriental nativity scene. You can fix the whole thing again with the hot glue gun.
2. To breathe life into your oriental nativity scene, you can add small details. For example, a bucket that stands on the wall of a house, from which an ox or other animal drinks, or a sales stand made of wooden beams and linen. Let a small dog figure run across your path. There are no limits to your creativity and variety of ideas.
3. Last but not least, of course, you must not forget your main proponents, Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The donkey, sheep and the ox are also part of it, not to forget the three kings. Traditionally, they all move into the nativity scene on Christmas Eve.