Moravian Nativity Scene Exhibited at Glencairn

Number 1, 2011

One of the highlights of this year’s annual Christmas exhibition, “Follow the Star: World Nativities,” is a Moravian “putz” originally owned by the Morris family of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  The term putz comes from a German word meaning “to decorate,” and refers to a traditional Moravian landscaped Nativity scene. The Moravians first traveled to America as missionaries in the 18th century. They came to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in 1740, and founded their first settlement in nearby Bethlehem in 1741. The Moravian Church continues to be active in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Lititz, and other locations in Pennsylvania, with approximately 800,000 members worldwide.

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