On Christmas Day, 25 December 2023, and on 26 December 2023 – St Stephen’s Day and the Independence and Unity Day public holiday – the Kulturno-umetniško društvo Pod lipo Adergas (Pod lipo Adergas Cultural and Arts Society), in cooperation with the Municipality of Cerklje na Gorenjskem, staged a Christmas story with a living nativity scene in the convent garden in Adergas for the second time, and with great success. More than 50 members of the local cultural society helped to create the performance.
A wish for a living nativity scene that had been cherished for years
As Angelca Maček explained, there had been a wish for several years to have a living nativity scene in Adergas. The presence of animals would further enhance the beauty of this rich tradition dating back 2,000 years.
“Monika Ribnikar prepared the text, based on the Holy Bible, wrote the script for the performance and chose the songs. We invited singers and actors to take part. When the idea for the Christmas story was explained to them, they were all enthusiastic and took on their roles. Singing rehearsals began straight away, and the young men inspected the venue and coordinated a whole host of ideas.” Monika Ribnikar, who also wrote the performance, held all its threads in her hands.
Many of the youth choir’s singers regularly attended the singing rehearsals, which were led by Nancy Luisa Sirc. The soloists Rudi Aleksander Sirc, Rok Rezar and Sara Rozman also delighted the audience. The Christmas story was narrated by Angelca Maček. The costumes, script and direction were the work of Monika Ribnikar.
The choir, formed especially for the occasion, excelled with its lovely singing of Advent and Christmas songs by Slovenian and foreign composers of church music. Older and younger singers sang in it under the direction of the choirmaster Nancy Luisa Sirc, with two soloists and piano accompaniment. Among the songs we heard Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria”, “Poslušajte vsi ljudje” (Listen, All You People) arranged by Ubald Vrabec, Helena Malovrh’s “Si videl zvezdice” (Have You Seen the Little Stars), Ivan Zupan’s “Božji nam je rojen sin” (The Son of God Is Born to Us) and “Silent Night” by Franz Gruber.
They immediately chose the beautiful convent courtyard in Adergas, which is enclosed and which the nuns left to us in all its beauty. Last year they made around 40 costumes for the performance.
Primož Sirc had a great responsibility, as he had to coordinate all the wiring for the sound system, music and lighting of the venue. The shepherds’ fires and burning tree stumps, which Borut Dolanc looked after, were lit an hour before the performance.
Fires were lit in the three shepherds’ fire pits and in two tree stumps in front of Herod’s palace half an hour before the performance began, and smoke filled the whole event area in the garden. Once the fire had settled and the smoke had cleared, the burning stumps lit up the setting of the Christmas Story with a fairy-tale glow.
Visitors began to arrive at half past four in the afternoon. At first the arrivals were “normal”: people stopped by the sheep and stroked them, had a look at the cow and the little donkey, and admired the fire pits. But it grew ever more crowded, as crowds of people poured into the convent courtyard in Adergas – a few locals, but most of them visitors from further afield.
They parked their cars along the road towards Adergas all the way to the church at Trata and, in a procession like shepherds crossing the fields of Bethlehem, made their way towards the Parish Church of the Annunciation in Adergas. The organisers, members of the Pod lipo Adergas Cultural and Arts Society, were surprised when visitors told them where they had travelled from to see the Christmas Story.
Attendance beyond expectations
Over the two days, the performance was seen by more than 1,000 spectators, who also came from other places, including Mengeš, Žiri and Kamnik. Everyone taking part in the performance was a local from the four villages of the Velesovo parish.
The story unfolded; at one point the cow mooed, which lifted the cheerful mood even further, and a shepherd cradled a young lamb, to the envy of all the children. The lamb bleated, and its cries heightened the sense of anticipation even more. The animals were looked after by David Puškarič and Tilen Selan. At the sight of Mary and Joseph, questions went round the audience as to whether they were husband and wife and whether they were really engaged, and when they were also given a real baby Jesus, the atmosphere among the spectators reached its peak. A real child in the manger and in the arms of the Virgin Mary. Yes, they were husband and wife. Joseph was played by Anže Kotnik and Mary by Nika Kotnik, while the baby Jesus was their five-month-old son Jani Kotnik. The little donkey made itself heard too, the shepherds came to see the child, the kings brought him gifts and song rang out. Many people praised the beautifully made costumes, which further conjured up the festive atmosphere.
Plenty of praise
Among the audience was the Mayor of Cerklje, Franc Čebulj, with his wife, who was extremely enthusiastic about the performance, and the former parish priest Peter Miroslavič also came all the way from Bela krajina to see it. The very warm response from the audience was the greatest thanks the performers could receive. Is there anything more beautiful than seeing a small child watching the performance wide-eyed, an elderly gentleman moved to tears as he listens to lovely Christmas songs, or a teenager coming up to ask whether he could take part in the performance next year?
Thanks to our visitors
Angelca Maček said: “If, with this Christmas story, we have managed to kindle a small spark of God’s love in those present, then our mission has fulfilled its purpose: that we smile at one another, that we love one another, and that we spread and kindle God’s love among everyone we meet, each of us on our own path through life.” She then invited the audience to tea and mulled wine. Some enjoyed a chat, others their tea, and the children the sheep.
Text: Janez Kuhar, photos: Janez Ribnikar
