A newcomer in the ³¦°ù賦³ó±ð
A newcomer has joined the traditional figures of the Provençal nativity scene (the ³¦°ù賦³ó±ð) that families, churches and municipalities set up in the weeks before Christmas.
The newcomer wears a white lab coat and ponders complex equations on a blackboard — he's a scientist working for °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, as evidenced by the badge hanging from his neck.
For the moment, the clay figure (santon) of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ scientist is only visible in the lobby of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Headquarters. Just like in the tree-lighting ceremony that was held on 9 December, he is standing next to the village mayor. (The mayor of Saint-Paul-Lez-Durance gifts a large Christmas tree every year to the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization.)
But as °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ roots dig deeper and deeper into the soil of Provence, the clay figure of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ scientist will become as familiar — and as legitimate — as the fisherman, the miller, the scissor grinder and all the figures that reflect daily life in the towns and villages of Provence.