Large Nativity Scene Made from Snow Presented at Epiphany in High Tatras

Large Nativity Scene Made from Snow Presented at Epiphany in High Tatras

High Tatras, January 6 (TASR) – A large Nativity scene made from snow in the High Tatras was seen on Sunday by around 200 people, who attended the 20th Epiphany Afternoon accompanied by Goral folk music in chilly weather at Rainer’s Cottage in the High Tatra Mountains.


“We began making this snow Nativity scene around December 10 and it was completed on Christmas Day. Snow came late this winter, so we had to collect it from the entire Starolesnianska polana, but we managed it. After the Nativity scene was finished, further snow fell and we had to remove it in the last few days to uncover the Nativity scene,” TASR was told by Peter Petras, a cottage keeper and teacher, who made the Nativity scene.
Petras said that his brother, a woodcarver, used to make Nativity scenes from snow at Rainer’s Cottage in previous years.

“It’s no problem for me any more, quite the contrary, I really enjoy it,” said Petras, adding that the most difficult thing is creating the main corpus.

“The snow was dry, so it took quite a long time,” said Petras. He went on to explain that snow needs to be put into a wooden perimeter construction and then pressed by feet and wooden clubs. “We have to use stepladders when being above 2.5 metres,” said Petras.

The Nativity scene made from snow could last at Rainer’s Cottage until the spring, depending on the weather, said Petras, adding that last year it resisted the elements until early April.

“We’ll make a decorated egg from snow for Easter [April 21 this year – ed. note]. It will be 3.5-4 metres high and it will feature relief decoration,” added Petras.