Dressing the Sunderland Nativity

I wonder whether you could help me create a life-size walk-in Nativity scene in Sunderland Minster, to be displayed from Sunday 14th December (installed the evening before) until after Sunday 4th January?

The Bridges shopping centre has kindly lent us several mannequins to create our scene, but they need dressing. My hope is that this year we might be able to dress the characters in contemporary clothes that reflect Sunderland today. Although this is a story that took place some 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, it has long been represented in the costumes of the time and place where the story is being re-told: many of our ‘traditional’ ideas of what the characters look like derive from much later European depictions.

We are looking to dress Joseph, Mary, two or three shepherds, two angels, and possibly three wise men (although these aren’t needed until the New Year).

If you can lend us any clothes, please contact Revd Andrew Dowsett by email – minsterpriest@sunderlandminster.org – or via the Minster office (open Monday-Friday 9am-3pm) on 0191 565 4066. You will need to drop them off at the Minster during office hours, along with your contact details. Anyone whose contribution we use will be credited by name, unless they would prefer not to be.

Joseph

Joseph was a descendant of King David. In a previous time, his future would have been secure as a member of the royal court. But those days had passed, and that future is no longer an option for that family. Joseph is a young man, trying to make his way in the world as a builder. If Joseph were a Mackem, he might come from a long line of miners or ship-builders. That option no longer open to him, he might be an apprentice learning some other trade. He might wear a boiler suit or overalls, with a high-vis vest.

Mary

Mary was a teenage girl, who had just had her first baby. Mary and Joseph were newly-weds, living with his relatives. Space was limited, but family is family. Mary probably dresses like any teenage girl in her culture. Today she might wear clothes that identify her with a particular youth sub-culture, expressing belonging. Her baby might sleep in a makeshift crib, fashioned from a small travel case.

The shepherds

At an earlier time, shepherds were well-regarded. King David started out as a shepherd boy in Bethlehem. But over time, they had become social outcasts, in large part because sheep caused damage to other people’s property. They remind me of the youth of Sunderland, subject to misunderstanding and abuse from people who have forgotten that they were once young themselves. Today the shepherds might wear tracksuits or hoodies, and carry skateboards or even spray cans.

The angels

Forget cute little girls with tinsel halos. The first response of people who encountered them was to be afraid. Angels are large and imposing. They are God’s messengers, and supernatural warriors. Today, they might well wear the uniform of a bouncer or door staff, or army surplus. Shepherds would certainly expect angels to tell them to move along or face trouble, not to give them VIP tickets.

The wise men

The kings or wise men don’t turn up until later. At the Minster, we will mark their visit on Sunday 4th January. They were scholars, and advisors to those in power in distant cultures. Today they might be international postgraduates at the University.

Thank you in advance to anyone who is able to help contribute. I hope that together we will be able to create an experience that will be a valuable part of the Christmas preparations going on in the centre of Sunderland.