In the midst of all the holiday décor - the snowflakes, santas, and his red-nose reindeer – the sole figurative representation for the season of Christmas is the nativity set – with its classic figurines –Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the three wise men.
Moving from the plastic and ceramic nativity figurines – mass produced items -- the local artists are now latching on to customised fancy, eco-friendly and handmade products. Gomantak Times Digital brings to you some of the exciting nativity sets available in the State, but only through prior bookings, say artists.
USING PAPER TO MAKE NATIVITY SETS
Meet Odelia Fernandes, from Vasco, who works with paper and has handcrafted some very unique and different type of nativity sets. Made of quilling paper, these sets are eco-friendly too.
She says, “I was very fascinated in the ways quilling could be used in making nativity sets and I had tried it a few years ago for a pop-up and they were an instant hit. I have been making different kinds of figurines for years now, and this inspired and gave me confidence to try the nativity set. Since they are made individually, it takes time to complete the set and I take almost a day or two to complete each one set.”
CROSS STITCH TO THE RESCUE
These unique hand stitched 3D figures are made using cross stitch, and are available in Benaulim. Bharti Kumar, who runs the place, helps marginalised groups to sell their wares.
“This NGO has been making some very interesting products for Christmas. They are using cross stitch to make 3D figures of the nativity scene. The NGO has also created self-help groups for people with disabilities and children,” says Bharti.
CLAY TO THE WORLD
Alvina Fernandes from Guirim makes various art works on nativity scenes, from dot painting to clay figures on canvas.
Alvina says, “I use handmade clay to make my figurines and the design is all done separately. By layers, I mean the head and the body is made first, followed by arms, hair and so on. There are a lot of locals who prefer to buy them for gifting purposes.”
CROCHETING ALL THE WAY
Connie Fernandes from Saligao is all set to dispatch her 10 nativity sets which are made of crochet.
“I take around 10 days to make one set which includes Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus and the three kings. Each piece is made with a lot of precision, especially the features of the figurines. I also make sure that the threads selected match the nativity set, which are about six inches tall. This year, I had a very challenging nativity set to make, which was based on ivory and gold thread. This set took a lot of time and detailing. I take orders now, till June, for the next year sets,” says Connie.
