In this series Péter Korniss was interested in the survival of tradition - so he turned his attention to Nativity Players. The rich dramatic folk custom has been preserved in many regions of the Carpathian Basin. Performers of the Nativity play go round from house to house in villages at Christmas time, acting out the story of the birth of Jesus in prose and song. Since 2006, every year a get-together of Nativity Players has been organized in Debrecen, where village groups from far and wide perform the well-known folk custom at various venues in the city.

Korniss made use of the meeting of the authentic village performers and the urban environment for his staged photography. Pictures in this style can be seen in the photography of the 1980s and its influence is still felt in today’s photo art.

Korniss applies this mode of expression here for the first time. He takes staged pictures of Nativity Players in settings of modern urban life. By rearranging the elements of reality, he “confronts” tradition with the present.