The traditional Cracovian Christmas Crib is a colourful design with towers, styled on churches and other architectural monuments of Cracow. On each level of the Crib, different scenes are represented taken from narratives of the nativity of Christ mixed with local folklore such as the figure of Lajkonik. The idea of Christmas crib making originated in Cracow in the 19th century and the tradition is very much alive today. Every year on the first Thursday of December a contest for the most beautiful Crib takes place. The ones judged to be the most beautiful are afterwards displayed at the exhibition in Cracow's Museum of History. In the Ethnographical Museum the oldest and at the same time the most interesting and magnificent examples of the cribs can be seen.