Manger Coloring Pages — Free Printable Christmas Symbol

Manger coloring pages — the wooden cradle of the Christ child

The manger is the central visual symbol of Christmas. Luke 2:7 records that Mary "wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" — and from this single verse, the manger has become one of the most-illustrated images in two millennia of Christian art and devotion.

This manger section holds coloring pages featuring the manger in its various contexts: as the infant Jesus' cradle in nativity scenes, as the symbolic centerpiece of Advent and Christmas devotional traditions, and as the focus of family Advent practices.

What is a manger?

A manger is a feeding trough — typically a wooden or stone box used to hold hay or grain for livestock. The Greek word in Luke 2:7 (phatnē) refers specifically to a feed trough. The English word "manger" derives from the Old French mangeoire (feed trough), itself from Latin manducare (to chew or eat).

For first-century Palestinian context, archaeologists have found stone mangers carved into the floors and walls of homes in Bethlehem and surrounding villages. The "stable" where Jesus was born was likely the lower-level animal area attached to a typical first-century home, where animals were kept indoors at night for warmth and safety.

The symbolic resonance is striking: the Bread of Life is laid in a feed trough.

The manger in Christian iconography

As cradle in the Nativity scene

The dominant use of the manger image. The baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lies in the wooden manger. Mary and Joseph nearby. The shepherds, the animals, the star above.

This is the iconic Christmas image. Our Nativity pages center on this composition.

As the focus of family Advent

In Catholic and many Protestant families, the Advent practice often centers on a manger scene. Some families place the empty manger out at the beginning of Advent and add the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve, building anticipation through the four weeks.

Other families add one figure at a time over Advent — first the manger, then Mary, then Joseph, then the animals, then the shepherds — culminating with the baby Jesus on Christmas Day.

As Eucharistic symbol

For Catholic devotional reflection, the manger has Eucharistic resonance — Bethlehem means "house of bread" in Hebrew, and the Bread of Life was laid in a feeding trough. Adult Catholic devotional pages explore this connection.

As humility symbol

Across Christian preaching, the manger represents the radical humility of the incarnation — that the Creator of the universe entered the world in such ordinary, even lowly, circumstances. The manger becomes the visual centerpiece for this theological reflection.

The Christmas Crèche of Saint Francis

Saint Francis of Assisi is traditionally credited with creating the first live Nativity scene at Greccio in 1223. Wanting to make the Christmas mystery more vivid for ordinary people, Francis arranged a real stable with animals and people in costume, with a wooden manger at the center holding (in some accounts) a live infant.

From Francis's first crèche, the tradition of Christmas nativity scenes spread across Europe and then globally. Every nativity scene in Christian tradition descends from Francis's original. See our Saint Francis section for fuller treatment.

Sunday school workflow for the manger

A 2-week manger unit (typically run during Advent):

Week 1 — Why a manger?

Read Luke 2:1-7. Color the empty manger scene. Discussion: "Mary and Joseph couldn't find a place to stay. Where was Jesus born?"

Week 2 — The manger scene

Read Luke 2:8-20. Color the full nativity scene with the manger at the center. Discussion: "The shepherds came to see Jesus in the manger. What's special about Jesus being in a manger?"

This 2-week manger unit gives kids substantive engagement with the central Christmas image.

Family Advent practice with the manger

A common Catholic family Advent practice using the manger:

Week 1 of Advent

Place the empty manger on the family table or near the Advent wreath. Light the first Advent candle.

Week 2 of Advent

Add Mary and Joseph beside the empty manger.

Week 3 of Advent

Add the shepherds and the angel.

Week 4 of Advent

Add the star above the manger.

Christmas Eve

Add the baby Jesus to the manger. Light the Christ candle (the white candle in the center of the Advent wreath).

Christmas season (through Epiphany)

Add the wise men (the Magi) gradually approaching the manger across the 12 days of Christmas, arriving on Epiphany (January 6).

Our manger coloring pages support this family practice as printable visual aids.

Editorial standards for manger content

Standard editorial policy applies. Manger-specific notes:

Historical accuracy

The first-century Palestinian setting is depicted accurately. The stable is a lower-level animal area (not a separate barn structure as in Western Renaissance art). The manger is wooden or stone — consistent with archaeological evidence from the era.

Reverence

The manger is the cradle of the Christ child. Even simple kids-tier manger pages depict it with appropriate reverence.

What's coming next

• The Advent family bundle — week-by-week additions to the manger scene
• The Crèche of Greccio — Saint Francis's first nativity
• Catholic Eucharistic manger — adult devotional theology

If you're teaching about the manger, email us.

Related symbols and themes

• All Christian symbols — sacred symbols catalog
• Christmas Bible coloring pages — full Nativity catalog
• Nativity scene — the manger as Nativity centerpiece
• Saint Francis — invented the live crèche
• Advent 2025 — daily manger-scene Advent practice
• Mary, Mother of Jesus — Mary laid Jesus in the manger

— Sarah Mitchell, Christian Education Editor