Mary

Mary was probably an ordinary teenager from a respectable family, who spent her days getting water, making bread and weaving. Her marriage to Joseph would have been arranged by her parents. For Mary to become pregnant before marriage would have caused a huge scandal.

Joseph

Joseph was probably much older than Mary. As a carpenter, he would not have been poor but nor would he have been rich. When Mary became pregnant, Joseph could have insisted that she be punished, even by being stoned. Instead, he planned to divorce her in secret, before finally deciding to go through with the wedding.

The Shepherds

At the time of Jesus, being a shepherd was no fun. Being outside all year round, in all types of weather, it was a dangerous and exhausting job, fit only for the youngest son of a large family or someone who was unpopular. Shepherds were shunned by respectable Jews because they could not keep the weekly day of rest. They were treated like criminals, which many of them were, and were forbidden to give evidence in a court of law.

The Ox and the Ass

The Bible does not mention any animals being present at Jesus' birth. St. Francis of Assisi added the ox and the ass to the first stable scene which he made in 1223. He wanted to show that Jesus came to be with all of God's creatures - humans and animals.