WINTER SALE: Save up to $862 on our trips! Book now and secure your adventure!

Why You Won't See Any Public Nativity Scenes in France This Christmas

Father Christmas Nativity Scene Christmas Crib
Father Christmas Nativity Scene Christmas Crib | © Maxpixel

In France, there are fierce laws surrounding festive nativity displays and Christmas cribs. They can only be displayed in public buildings if the intent is “cultural, artistic, or festive” to protect France’s secular ideals.

In France, nativity scenes with Christmas cribs are only allowed in town halls and other public buildings if the organizers can prove they have a “cultural, artistic, or festive purpose” and do not “demonstrate a public recognition or preference for a given religion.” The ban was decided by State Council, France’s highest administrative court, last year.

Nativity

The reasoning goes back to the fierce ideals upheld by France’s 1905 “laïcité” law that insists on the strict separation of church and state. It’s a law that sees religious symbols, including the Muslim headscarf, crucifixes, and Jewish kippahs, all banned from public institutions. Any breaching is punishable by law.

Laicite law

The argument about whether it is appropriate to allow nativity scenes in town halls occurs every year without fail. It has even been named the infamous “nativity war.”

Father Christmas Nativity Scene Christmas Crib

While the ban has been accepted by French law, not all political figures of authority support these moves. There are certain politicians, such as Philippe de Villiers, the head of the French right-wing Movement for France political party, who have argued passionately against this ban.

Christmas Crib Father Christmas Nativity Scene

Villiers has stressed how the bans could easily inspire a rise in anti-Islam sentiment and worsen tensions with French Muslims. “State Council judges said ‘yes’ to the burkini,” he told the French daily Le Figaro. “If they say ‘no’ to nativity scenes, they will no longer be protecting the interests of the French; they will be respecting the wishes of Islamic extremists and putting their interests first.”

The French authorities continue to demand the dismantling of nativity scenes across France that breach these bans.

About the author

Jade is an English travel writer & journalist whose love of languages led her to Paris. She has bylines in The Guardian and The Times amongst other publications.

If you click on a link in this story, we may earn affiliate revenue. All recommendations have been independently sourced by Culture Trip.
close-ad