Cestina's dolls houses: In true Czech tradition, a Bohemian Nativity Bonus

When I used to lecture on dolls houses and their history in the UK, I often started by saying that the miniature traditions across Europe varied - the Germanic countries, France and Britain had models of identifiable houses, often created for girls to learn how to "keep house". In the Netherlands rich women enjoyed collecting silver miniatures and displaying them in beautiful cabinets - and even the ancient Egyptians hid miniature items of food and furniture in the tombs so the dead did not go uncomfortably into the after-life.

But in Bohemia and Moravia there was little tradition of miniatures and houses in the sense that we know them. Their passion for small items went in a different direction, although it started at much the same time. The earliest known example of their tradition dates from 1560 and took the form of a Christmas creche. But don't imagine just the stable, manger, a small group of shepherds and the Holy Family as we are used to in Britain in churches at Christmas, with some kings arriving at Epiphany perhaps.....

These Christmas Creches, known as "Betlems" (Bethlehams) eventually became rather like giant model railway layouts. They comprised a whole town, or village, complete with the population engaged on its daily work, and many of them were automated. Beautifully carved in wood, displayed in churches and monasteries, and, in smaller versions, in private houses, and still to be seen in museums around the Czech Republic today, they are wonderful creations, whether large or small....

I am sorry that the video has no sub-titles but I think the pictures speak for themselves...

And they were also made of paper - close to Bavorov there is an amazing private collection, too little known, housed in a village near Prachatice.

The creches made a feature of the tradition of villagers bearing gifts to the baby Jesus, gifts of bread and fish, eggs and produce. They didn't just leave the gift-giving to the Magi....

We have our own creche at home, just a small one made by daughter Alison in her teens, but we had nothing special in Small Worlds. So imagine my delight about three weeks ago when the local masseuse, who operates in the same building as Small Worlds, staggered in with a giant cardboard box filled mainly, I have to confess, with bits and pieces of everything that I probably won't be able to use much of. But she kept saying "There are figures but they are not good, badly glued together, probably no use..."

I put the carton into the back workshop room and forgot about it till I fell over it looking for something to set out on the table for the museum opening at the Advent Fair - I usually put a model railway out. Thank goodness I did fall over it as I then decided to dig a little.

And lo! A great and mighty wonder emerged (for those who are not churchgoers, this is a topical quote!)

An icecream container at the very bottom revealed many arms, legs, heads, bodies and little figures....

I took everything out, piece by piece and suddenly realised that what I had was a complete village "Betlem", though of the nearly forty figures, only half were more or less complete. I then spent a fascinating couple of days trying to match heads to bodies, arms to instruments or gifts to the Christchild, and then to bodies as well, and even tiny ears to piggies. A variation on my jigsaw hobby..... By some miracle every single missing piece was locatable!

As I worked, the characters I was handling became more and more familar and then I realised that these were all figures, clearly home made, probably out of Fimo or even bread dough, and based on the paintings of the Czech iconic artist Josef Lada whose giant calendars I have collected for years. To say I was delighted is the understatement of the year!

All plans for the table display changed on the spot, as did my choice of photo for my annual Christmas greetings, and the idea of a bonus blogpost surfaced. So here it is, complete with many photos, a Czech carol, and, of course, a Lada picture.

I hope it makes up a bit for the lack of posts over the past year, since you now have two within the space of a fortnight. (Here is the first of the duo) Must be a record!