More than 300 people are expected to flow through the St Stephen’s chapel on Park St this week.
For the second year in a row the Anglican church is hosting Christmas Nativity Exhibition, which opened yesterday.
There is also art on display, and even a photo booth for selfies.
The booth is a nativity scene where adults and children can don costumes and pose as angels, shepherds or kings.
Vicar Reverend Indrea Alexander said the display features more than 60 locally owned nativity scenes, similar to last year.
Alexander expected the number of visitors to exceed the more than 300 people who came through last year.
“Nativity scenes on display come in all shapes, sizes and materials, including wooden, ceramic, knitted, stained-glass and pottery, and they often reflect the ethnicity of the artist. We are hoping the exhibition will again give a wonderfully diverse taste of Christmas,” Alexander said.
She was ‘‘astounded’’ few shops and businesses were displaying nativity scenes this year.
“It is such a shame, because the diversity of our beliefs, traditions and customs enrich the fabric of community life,” Alexander said
“If we lose the 2000 year history of Christmas, we are left with little more than pretty things, partying and consumerism, and there’s a lot more to Christmas than that,” she said.
Church member Stephanie Moses is among parishioners who have loaned their nativity sets.
‘‘I am amused at one of the nativity sets, it’s in a snow globe that plays Jingle Bells,’’ Moses said.
‘‘The central figure in a nativity scene is the baby Jesus, usually with his mother Mary and her husband Joseph,’’ Alexander said.
Í The Nativity Exhibition is open 11am to 2pm daily until Sunday as well as tonight from 5pm to 7pm. For group bookings during or outside the public hours, phone 308-5438 or email [email protected]
