Nativities and Festivals of Light debuts Friday, December 3, at the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures with free admission from 5-8 pm as part of Fort Collins Art Walk. Visitors will also enjoy free admission on Saturday, December 4, from 11 am to 5 pm.
The exhibit will showcase crèche scenes from around the world, from Czechoslovakia and Germany to Japan and Italy. Ranging in size from miniature to large-scale, the nativity treasures are crafted from a variety of materials, including wood, glass, ceramics, bamboo, and metals. The origin of Santa Claus and the history of the Christmas tree will also be featured. Art and artwork regarding international Festivals of Light will highlight Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, St. Lucia Day, and the Chinese Lantern Festival.
In conjunction with the Main Gallery display, a virtual program will be offered from 6-7:30 pm Tuesday, December 14. Here We Come Wassailing: Christmas Traditions of Visitation will be presented by Maria Kennedy, Instructor of Folklore at Rutgers University. The Zoom presentation will explore the English custom of wassailing, displays of Christmas lights and nativities in Brooklyn, and a trek through the snow in the Carpathian Mountains in the Ukraine. Admission is $5 per Zoom connection, with tickets available at globalvillagemuseum.org.
The exhibit runs through January 22, 2022. The Global Village Museum is located at 200 W. Mountain Avenue, and Museum hours are 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit globalvillagemuseum.org or call 970-221-4600.