Baby Jesus’ Standing, Theft and Search – a Traditional Venezuelan Christmas Feast

Abstract

Baby Jesus’ standing, theft and search is a religious feast that is mainly celebrated within the Andean region of Venezuela, and as time has passed by, it has become part of the national cultural heritage. From our perspective of participant observers of the cultural object, this is an attempt to describe the celebration and to offer a possible hypothesis about the meanings related to the child’s search. Considering the generalized significance of this festivity, it would emphasize the fact that this tradition ratifies and evokes the recreation of several biblical episodes and the constant incorporation of Baby Jesus in the family as well as in the community which turns out to be an exaltation of religious, affective, cultural, and social values.

Keywords

• Christmas Festivities
• Venezuelan religious tradition
• Baby Jesus
• devotion
• identity