of what this past week had to offer he is what's coming up. next in the c play exploring the origins of a christian tradition. seeing double why a polish house comes with two groups. and sweet sensation i'm a rank straight from france is an international hit. let's start off by tracing back the origins of a christmas tradition the nativity play the pageant is performed in churches and schools every year but where does it all start it was in italy that mary and joseph journey was first reenacted on stage in a small hill town called connect show about ninety kilometers north of rome back in the early thirteenth century saint francis of assisi had the idea to perform the nativity scene with real actors. well that tradition lives on that this day and during advent visitors from far and wide travel to the sabena hills to see where it all began. and they typically play performed in italy sabena hills near the village of. this is where francis of assisi created the very first play back in the thirteenth century. i want to create a new bethlehem here. that originally hails from. every year he starts his francis of assisi in the. world this is a very old tradition that dates back to twelve twenty three when francis of assisi returned from palestine. he hike through this region which reminded him a lot of the holy land. so he stayed here and asked his friend the great journey. to stage an a to b. to play. the. same francis his legacy is still on the present in the. nearby a mighty franciscan ministry sits atop a month. many visitors come here to see the grotto where francis states the first evan activity in twelve twenty three to bring the story of christmas closer to the people. was and he wanted to portray the birth of jesus christ. for everyone to see with their very own eyes. so they can better grasp and appreciate it. the cross her feet is a fourteenth century fresco depicting mary the baby jesus and an evening in praying for this. thirty four years ago new life was breezed into this negativity play tradition. now every year starting on december twenty fourth the negativity plays performed in front of an international audience. and i presume. they all got. the gretsch on the tippity play is organized by enthusiastic locals and it's become a tradition since one nine hundred seventy three they volunteer they're not paid to do this. one. has also opened a unique nativity museum featuring exhibits from italy and other countries. this negativity seen for example comes from that's one a in africa. given that it's not these are all wonderful but i like the alaskan exhibit best. presented of the birth of jesus christ represents the family. we can all relate to this aspect of the christian faith. who gets one of its least most important religious traditions. many market stalls and retro also of a small nativity scenes. some pretty unconventional options are available kenya this is shaped like a swan and is made from a pumpkin it was hollowed out and worked on for two years and it contains figurines made from cloth that it's part of what i thought that youth soccer. for the locals the negativity seen as an important aspect of christmas. but the highlight each christmas remains the actual play of course. it's performed between december twenty fourth and january sixth. and gets visitors from all over the world into the christmas spirit. now it's time to visit a toy factory in ukraine which takes us back to a simpler time when toys were made of wood you gears is a startup company that has taken the world by storm four years ago they began crowdfunding the business i'm now they're selling their products and over eighty countries in fact their success caught the attention of disney and the two companies are now collaborating on a joint venture so let's take a look at these incredibly intricate contraptions that make the perfect christmas present. each of these models comprises hundreds of individual pucks he won't find any plastic glue all batteries mia the trains and trucks consist excusably of intricately assembled pieces of wood mountains propelled forward fine by the band. and back on just vehicles to choose from even if no one expected us to create a musical instrument you can assemble and play yourself with. like the old masters our customers can build an instrument from the middle ages of three . the u.k. is company was founded in kiev in twenty fourteen and has been exporting toys to funds the world over ever since. to be successful with what the models in the plastic age every angle must be right every detail must be exact it often takes thousands of attempts until everything is perfect. engine is what i want to achieve this is what attracts them to it. and it's always interesting to come up with your own ideas and then turn them into reality positions comes closer . after the design has been finalized they use and laser to cut the pieces from the new plywood. customers compress them out of the chute to home and assemble them according to a blueprint. some thirty models are now available with something for everyone from a guinness to a professional craftsman but sometimes customers have special requests to. southeast asia partners asked us to put something other than a ballerina in the middle of the model that could symbolize happiness for example. the ballerina isn't popular there. it's always about giving our customers things that mean something to them. then they sell better. assembly of the tractable model with ninety seven pots takes just three quarters of an i want to complete a treat for an experience model make. the most complex models consist of almost six hundred parts. and all puzzles seem to be catching on again in the digital world production is currently running full speed ahead and. the models still being packaged will end up all over the world in time for christmas. the models are designed and manufactured in the ukrainian capital kiev. but less than a tenth the production remains in the country. that. i . overseas customers have long since discovered the form of. facebook and instagram spread the would even without expensive advertising you get his sales it's models in around eighty countries and even big companies are interested in cooperation but what comes next. the goal is not to build bigger and bigger models. or become even more complex a group of smokers there are already clear limits after which would be so difficult that most people couldn't assemble them anymore words were more concerned with aesthetics and originality in the mind to do things going through the. night based initiatives which in face. instance in a few games stands full ukrainian gives a name that describes the calls of these modern day mechanical telling. with staying with design now but on a much bigger scale when polish aga takes tobe a connection he decided to develop his own home on a mountain slope it was clear that it would have to be something special he calls his prize winning project the uk and i'm sure you'll understand why when you see our next report the impressive structure looks like it could be stand away at any moment but konetzni is quite content staying there with his family we headed to a wintery brenna to take a closer look. set in the spectacular landscape of the best kitty mountains the silhouette of a house there makes it immediately clear it was designed by an architect who likes to experiment. the building has two roofs one of the top and one reaching down to the ground the facade is very minimalist architect robert cognacs sneeze house is considered one of the most modern residential projects in poland you know welcome to my ark it's very foggy today. very little furniture soft colors and straight lines and sure a peaceful ambience. huge windows dominate the room. an elegant and ingenious fireplace offers warmth and coziness. for robert cone yet design isn't the essential feature here. who knows like the financial don't know but interior design should be simple and calm and not distract from what's happening outside the house with a cup of the river very nice view from this side and from the other side and it changes every day because even the fog today is magical as if we were in heaven which would you make between. the main entrance is opened by remote control so that you reach the house the architects bark as if via a jetty it looks as if it's just making a brief stop on the mountain slope. the wall on one side of the house can be moved as necessary to make best use of the natural light in the living room. with them to look at if i were to build a garden or a terrace here or put up a fence let alone plant something it would look strange and totally inappropriate the chemical feels like with my idea you get the feeling that you own the whole mountain. the house is floating on the mountain. there are no borders. the building has about one hundred forty square metres of living space and was designed in such a way as to allow the water coming from the mountains to flow off naturally underneath it there is no foundation the house stands on three pillars these are hidden from view by a screen that looks like a second roof which creates the ark like form. after the architect moved in the word ark took on a second meaning for hand. animals don't mind the. summer they come and sleep near it but now in winter they stay in the forest. also played an important role in planning the house for example. sprayed the inside walls with a protective foam that gives a special look to the bathroom and the. better minimalist and very functional design. of the my house should be in symbiosis with nature and not fight it with technology. the architecture and design magazine wallpaper has named robert ark the best private home of twenty seventeen the polish architect had no intention of winning prizes with the house he was just looking for a place of refuge from hectic city life and here. interior design at its best and check out our you tube channel d w interior design stunning design ideas spectacular buildings and d.i.y. tutorials on home decoration we'll take you inside the most beautiful european homes show you the latest in furniture fabrics and accessories subscribe and don't miss out see you on you tube. now to a sweet treat that has experienced a major revival the may have a euro combines marang cream and assorted coatings sounds delicious but it was long viewed as old fashioned and provincial but one friend of the vo company thought the small snack had a bigger role to play and gave it a new recipe for success his shop selling the delicacy have branches all over the world and the mom the list may have a year is proving to be a hit we paid them a visit in little to get a taste. and little moran a little chocolate and lots and lots of whipped cream. it's pretty rich but that didn't stop this delicacy with roots in northern france and belgium from conquering the world. will call is the man who made it famous abroad was to all of those are. there are several things that set this cake apart first of all it's very very light because the membrane is very airy and then shows and because i've changed a key component to fill it but thirty years maybe you were made with butter cream i use with cream a very light. so the light cream is light and the result is a pastry that looks impressive but weighs less than one hundred grams. because home base is the northern french city of leave. the city center was renowned for its splendid rock architecture until the rise of man of the year. it has become a veritable city trademark it's so popular that customers queue up in long lines on saturdays just to. customers can watch man of the year being made inside the shop that's important to vocal he says anyone can make them he's even happy to share his recipes. so let's take a look. at the egg whites and sugar a whip together to make them around these marang spirals a baked slowly in the oven for about an hour at one hundred degrees celsius meanwhile the cream is wept and as much chocolate added as desired. finally cream is filled between two big neurons and the whole thing is rolled in chalk mats all shaved chocolate. and one of them already. it isn't focal office a key to it. shows up in a pot on the most important thing is the amount of cream you use between that you want to run see it needs to have enough to make the rain melt episodes like that but not too much if you use too much of the membrane will disintegrate to strike you the right balance is a bit more due if. it's omega you deferred there's one to please every palate the classic version is covered in duct chocolates. the khans recipe for success however came when we find the traditional formula to create his own with a twelve with new flavors like cherry. this statue or not. because personal favorite is coated with crystallized marang a history buff he named it after the supporters of the french revolution the song could not customers adore his. she best and i actually don't like cream cakes but these are extra light stuff not the marang is delicate but maintains its shape and i love the flavors my favorites are white chocolate and specular pictures from no suitable says they're delicious i love them who believe in. god. now that you are finding followers the world over the condo has twenty shops including in london brussels paris geneva new york and in berlin. because it is relaxed about his moran's pearson in popularity when he's not on route to new york opening a new branch he's most happy working in his old shop in downtown. there was just no more need for me i just love my product that's why i like to be here. unfortunately to be lucky i'm on the road a lot then i miss being in my store at the office whenever i have the time. i'm here i need this. somehow i find it reassuring to bake my own cake. that they did it because it doesn't have long to linger the scouting for new locations in amsterdam and to saddam after thirty six years he's still happy to share his passion from that figure i. want to know more about european lifestyle and culture visit euro max on facebook. you'll find highlights from our programs. three hundred sixty degree videos of the most beautiful places in europe and snapshots taken by our reporters take an exclusive look behind the scenes at how the program is produced and follow us on facebook live. we do love it when fans visit our facebook page and give us their feedback visit d.w. euro max on facebook. well we have time for some music and to play us out how about a little bit of beethoven it's almost two hundred fifty years ago that the composer was born and his legacy is still celebrated in his hometown of bond to this day the bi annual beethoven competition sees pianists from all over the world competing for ten days d.-w. is the competition's media partner so we took a closer look at the beethoven bonanza. an outstanding performance as alberto federal plays loued began beethoven's piano concerto number four. the twenty one year old italian wins one of the most prestigious awards for young pianists in the world the international telecom beethoven competition bomb. in the believe to be here this is the final. it's like the dream for it's the first and the first place in an international incident that you should always go to the save the it is award but here it's it's even more satisfaction. a few hours earlier the tension was running high among the finalists. along with cheryl there was whole chong lee from south korea she would end up taking third. and japanese pianist tamaki kitamura he came in second. the jury was made up of nine experts from six different countries. welfare to federal has all the qualities needed to succeed professionally as a musician. so good. it's his playing was wonderfully stable stability itself. from the first round to the last he was an excellent form in this to form. some of the most talented young players in the world have participated in the buy annual beethoven competition that was created in two thousand and five. this year there were twenty four contestants from seventeen countries the competition takes place over ten days there are four rounds in all the finalists play for a full house but crowning achievement. will never get an update on the run. it has its own atmosphere it's a magic i even if that sounds a little kitschy to say it's the truth i must but for those who are familiar with the house where beethoven was born i think about the kind of situation he was in when he read these pieces i think it's a special experience it's a privilege to experience this event. loop with van beethoven was born in this house and barn in seven hundred seventy today it's a museum the composer left behind when he was twenty two but he still ever present in bon statues and plaques commemorate him. there's even one at the end where he was a regular guest. the city puts on a music festival dedicated to his work every year in late summer. make a bogner directs the event which partners with the piano competition. trust yourself i think the public's general enthusiasm for it is very infectious and i have to say that i think that what these youngsters accomplished is simply sometimes take us some. alberto farrow takes on thirty thousand euros in prize money and that's not all i think we'll get more concert and anyway. i just feel like playing a first floor for the audience and trying to enjoy i expect for. the claim for a young pianist in bonn where once the young beethoven himself played. that's all for us for today so thanks for watching i'll see you again in the new year of arsenal. planting trees in order to save the land to the tongue to two hundred thousand people. spying is the forest man of india. the island of mud julie is threatened with river flooding. the forest judd of trying has planted protects valuable land. much of the sinking. i'm. thirty minutes till. they make a commitment. they find solutions. they inspire. africa on the moon. stories of both people making a difference shaping their nation. and their continent. w.'s new multimedia series for africa. dot com africa on the move. every journey begins with the first step and every language of the first word in the cool nico piece in germany to learn german. physicist why not learn a little. bit simple online on your mobile and free. stuff. t w z e learning course the german made easy. they live to serve. danger lurks in the water we were there for you long surfing waste and and polluted water not only being the witness but at the time being victims i mean with troubles all gastric troubles. basically this a sort of always moment a back up affiliation till i was something a shell. is really decent and it's sad to go somewhere every day and see more a man from issue to time sort of assumed gives me everything the waves the wind i have to give something back sixty and i can 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