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Original poster

Nativity Plays- What happened to King Herod?

76 replies

FirstFallopians · 15/12/2023 11:52

I’ve seen two nativity plays this year thanks to DC and my niece, and just realised the absence of King Herod in both.

When I was growing up( NI, 1990s) there was ALWAYS a kid playing King Herod at the start of the story, teeing up why Mary and Joseph were traipsing across the country when she was about to have a baby.

Is there a reason he doesn’t seem to be included anymore?

This isn’t a serious thread, I’m just mulling over the differences!

OP posts:
Girasoli · 15/12/2023 16:41

We had a king Herod in DS1s year 1 nativity play, an older year 2 boy iirc.
He was also mentioned at this year's Carol service.

FriedasCarLoad · 15/12/2023 16:49

Probably from renal failure complicated by maggot-infested gangrene of the genitals.

(I realised after reading your OP that this wasn't actually what your title meant. But here you go anyway 😁)

ErrolTheDragon · 15/12/2023 17:20

It's a different Herod in the Easter story, @MissBuffyAnneSummers - Herod Antipas, one of Herod the Great's sons

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Dilbertian · 15/12/2023 17:57

My ds played Herod in Y4 or 5. His teacher phoned me up in desperation on a Friday - the child playing Herod was sick and the show opened the following Wednesday, could my ds please try and take over the part?

The reason my ds was the only child available is that we are Jewish!

I gave my permission and ds did an amazing job. The original actor was able to do the second night. Two phenomenally proud sets of parents 😁

But that's the only time we ever saw a Herod in any of the Nativities my dcs' schools held.

Phineyj · 15/12/2023 18:15

@FriedasCarLoad eww!

MissBuffyAnneSummers · 15/12/2023 18:18

ErrolTheDragon · 15/12/2023 17:20

It's a different Herod in the Easter story, @MissBuffyAnneSummers - Herod Antipas, one of Herod the Great's sons

I'm an atheist and I've never read the bible. Just going by my Andrew Lloyd Webber 😂

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/12/2023 18:21

There was a King Herod in Gdcs’ play the other week.
I don’t recall him being a feature in the past, though.

LlynTegid · 15/12/2023 18:29

King Herod announcing the census at the beginning of the nativity would be a lovely opportunity for a shy boy to read from a scroll, not having to remember his lines!!

pastapestoparmesan · 15/12/2023 18:36

The Magical Christmas Jigsaw has a great song about Herod!

riotlady · 15/12/2023 18:47

I don’t remember ever having a Herod in my nativities when I was a kid in the 90s.

DD hasn’t either but she has learnt about him because she was asking me the other day how Jesus escaped. She also asked me to tell her about “baby Jesus in the dungeon” (she was getting mixed up with the Easter tomb)

Bernadinetta · 15/12/2023 18:59

Have you see Nativity (the popular Christmas film with Martin Freeman as a teacher putting on a school nativity)? The rival school do a post-modern style Herod scene in their Nativity with children running about screaming “my baby, my baby” and the kid playing Herod proclaiming “I am the king!” 😆

MrsAvocet · 15/12/2023 19:25

newnamethanks · 15/12/2023 15:15

Anyone got round to Nebuchadnezzar yet? Didn't he make a late appearance? Please correct me if you know better.

I don't think so.
Nebuchadnezzar was a Babylonian king. He features in the Old Testament at various points but if I recall rightly he was around about 500 years before the nativity story.

BoredofBlonde · 15/12/2023 19:52

Springcleaninginsummer · 15/12/2023 15:34

I think you might have misunderstood something along the way, here. The star did not tell anyone anything. It is a star. It twinkles in the sky. Whatever interpretation is put onto that is made by humans for humans. The stars continue regardless!

Show quote history

I didnt say it told anyone anything (a star can't speak, as you so rightly said, it twinkles) - I said they followed it (Matthew 2 verse 9)

Seems quite clear where is says "After they had heard the king, they went their way, and look! the star they had seen when they were in the East went ahead of them until it came to a stop above where the young child was".
Young child, not baby. In Jerusalem, not Bethlehem

Oblomov23 · 15/12/2023 20:02

I love a good Herod. Ds2 was Herod when he was in reception a good few years ago. Teacher phoned me to tell me among other things, and said he was the only one who could do it, and it was her best casting in years!

tdino · 15/12/2023 21:00

pastapestoparmesan · 15/12/2023 18:36

The Magical Christmas Jigsaw has a great song about Herod!

This was ours! Wonderful and he popped in and then did his song and then the angels sorted it with the group text.

Chichz · 15/12/2023 21:09

My little one has been singing a great song about King Herod and telling us all about how he didn't like babies 🤣 He's in school nursery! Apparently the 4-year old Herod also stole the show in their nativity.

merryhouse · 15/12/2023 21:25

our church had one Herod who very smoothly said "so that I too may go and... [strokes white cat] worship him" Grin

SarahAndQuack · 15/12/2023 21:28

PuttingDownRoots · 15/12/2023 12:55

King Herod killing lots of babies isn't exactly a song and dance number...

Coventry Carol?

MargaretThursday · 15/12/2023 21:46

Ds is in a nativity (for children and adults) and they have the flight into Egypt and the slaughter of the innocents. He's graduated from being a killed child to being a soldier doing the killing this year and is loving it.
It's the children's favourite bit - they get to run around and scream a lot which they think is great fun. Ds is particularly pleased that he gets to (nearly) kill one of his friends.
Herod is very sinister at this point, but then Archangel Michael appears...

newnamethanks · 15/12/2023 22:14

Ah thank you @MrsAvocet, Rivers of Babylon etc. Of course.

WhatICallMyUsername · 15/12/2023 22:49

King Herod was in the reception nativity for us this week. His one and only line was "bring all the babies to me" (most children just had one line). Then when he came back on stage for the last song the teacher was saying booooo King Herod.

The adults laughed. I don't think the children had a clue what it was about

PandaCory · 15/12/2023 23:05

pastapestoparmesan · 15/12/2023 18:36

The Magical Christmas Jigsaw has a great song about Herod!

My son's school did that one this year. Son's best mate was Herod and he was fantastic, really hammed it up, banging his staff on the floor and yelling at his minions.

Pertinentowl · 16/12/2023 07:41

No it doesn’t make a difference. I have an English literature degree and I am Muslim and did all my schooling in Arabic. I’ve never seen a nativity and couldn’t tell you much about the Bible.

TheLurpackYears · 16/12/2023 09:49

How Christian are the comparable schools? My dd has changed to a c of e school in year 5 and came home out raged that her previous, non denominational school had never mentioned Herrod. I suppose the narrative that Joseph and Mary were part if an oppressed group is necessary.
Ds is still at the old school and has reliably informed me that in the olden days Father Xmas was blue but knew nothing of Herrod