![]() Once laid there, an angel told the shepherds that they would find their newborn Messiah and Lord “lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12). ![]() Instead, she had to make due with what was available and the manger proved to be a convenient alternative: the hay was soft, the box was up and off the ground, and the sides tall enough to keep her child safely inside. When Jesus was born, Mary would not have wanted to lay her infant on the hard, cold, stone floor. When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem there was no room for them at the inn, so they were forced to find lodging elsewhere, probably in a cave where animals were staying. ![]() ![]() The cattle can walk up to a manger at any time, and then spend long, leisure hours chomping away, chewing and slowly re-chewing their cud. Farmers were sure to keep their mangers well-supplied with fodder at all times so the animals would never go hungry. Mangers were located wherever livestock were kept, places like stables, corrals, or caves. The word “manger” comes from the Latin word munducare which means “to eat.” A manger or crib is a wooden or stone feeding trough or food box that holds hay for larger farm animals like cattle, horses, and donkeys. When the child Jesus was born, his mother Mary laid him in a manger (Lk 2:7).
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