Die Weihnachtsgeschichte - Board game HABA - Free user manual and instructions

Product type	Board game
Brand	HABA
Model	Die Weihnachtsgeschichte
Recommended age	4 to 8 years
Number of players	2 to 4 players
Playing time	15 to 20 minutes
Box dimensions	30 x 30 x 5 cm
Weight	0.6 kg
Power source	None (traditional board game)
Main features	Christmas-themed path game, promotes memory and cooperation
Care and cleaning	Clean pieces with a dry cloth; avoid moisture
Safety	Contains small parts, not suitable for children under 3 years
Spare parts and repairability	Parts not available separately; contact HABA customer service in case of loss
Box contents	1 game board, 4 playing pieces, 1 die, 1 rulebook
General information	Educational game about the Christmas story, developed by HABA in Germany

Frequently Asked Questions - Die Weihnachtsgeschichte HABA

What is the recommended age for this game?

The game Die Weihnachtsgeschichte is recommended for children aged 4 to 8 years.

How many players can participate?

The game is played with 2 to 4 players.

What is the average duration of a game?

A game lasts about 15 to 20 minutes.

Does the game require batteries?

No, no power source is needed. It is a classic board game.

What is the objective of the game?

Players move around the board following the Christmas story, with memory and cooperation challenges. The first to reach the manger wins.

Is the game easy for young children to understand?

Yes, the rules are simple and the illustrated booklet helps children understand the gameplay.

What to do if a piece is lost?

Contact HABA customer service. Spare parts are not sold separately, but they may offer a solution.

How to clean the game?

Use a dry cloth to clean the pieces. Avoid water and moisture.

Is the game suitable for classroom use?

Yes, it can be used in educational settings to approach the Christmas story in a playful way.

What themes are covered?

The game follows the Nativity story, with references to biblical characters like Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men.

USER MANUAL Die Weihnachtsgeschichte HABA

Illustration of a festive scene with children, donkeys, and a decorated horse under a starry sky (no text or symbols)

Golden star with a trailing tail and three yellow stars in the background (no text or symbols)

Ziel des Spiels

Colorful abstract illustration of a circular arrangement of colorful geometric shapes on a teal background (no text or symbols)

A co-operative Christmas game for 1 - 8 players aged 4+.

Author: Markus Nikisch

Design: Ines Frömel t

Contents

1 game board

Mary

Joseph

lanft Jesus

1 argel

1 sta

3 astrologes

1 shepherd

4 bog sheep

1 small shoe

1 dog

1 mager

7 tiles

1 die with symbols

Set game instructions

Watercolor illustration of a green palm tree with sharp edges (no text or symbols)

Aim of the Game

Through playing, children become familiar with the Christmas story and its main characters. The players don't compete but play together.

Preparation of the Game

Place the game board in the center of the table. Place the following figures on the squares marked with a red border

• Place Mary and Joseph on their starting square in the lower right hand corner
• Place the shepherd, his dog and five sheep on the corresponding squares in the center of the game board.
• The three astrologers should be placed on their starting square in the lower left hand corner of the game board.
• Place the star onto the the first square of the astrologers' path.
• The mager should be placed on the illustration of the Christ child in the stable.

Colorful abstract illustration of a garden layout with plants, leaves, and geometric shapes on a teal background (no text or symbols)

Shuffle the seven tiles and place them face down next to the game board. Have the Christ child, an angel and the die ready next to the game board.

How to Play

The smallest player may start. The other players follow in a clockwise direction. Throw the die once.

Which symbol appears on the die?

- Mary and Joseph

You accompany the pregnant Mary and her husband and Joseph on their long and arduousjourney from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Take the counter of either Mary or Joseph and move it one square on the way towards the stable. Then you choose another player who should place the second counter (Mary/Joseph) next to the first.

Now an adult can read the first part of the Nativity story included in the game instructions: Whenever Mary and Joseph can move on a square, a paragraph of the story is read. So the children progressively learn about the Nativity story.

Mary and Joseph move on and once they have passed the last square of their path, they will stand in the stable. If their symbol appears again on the die, the player in question can take the Christ child and put it into the manger standing there.

If on the die the Mary and Joseph symbol appears again, then place the angel next to the stable. The angel announces that the Jesus has been born.

- Star:

The bright and shiny star shows the three astrologers where they can find the Christ child. The astrologers come from far away. The star leads them directly to the stable in Bethlehem.

Uncover one of the tiles.

Take a look at where the star lies at this moment. Is it on a square showing the same picture as on the tile?

• Yes

The astrologers follow the star. Take the figures and place them on this square. Then push the star one square ahead. The tile is over round again.

• No

The astrologers can not yet see the star. They stay where they are and the tile is over around a gain.

If you have uncovered all the tiles in the right order, the astrologers will have reached the stable in Bethlehem.

• Shepherd's crook or a sheep:

When the shepherds heard from the angels that Jesus was born, they began on their journey to Bethlehem.

If you have rolled the shepherd's crook move the shepherd or the dog forward one square. If you have rolled the sheep, then move one of the sheep one square

Watch out:

A shepherd always watches over his flock. He always takes care that not one sheep, however small it may be, gets lost.

When moving the shepherd/the dog and the sheep, a free square should never be left between these figures.

graph TD
    A["Group of items"] --> B["Central Object"]
    B --> C["Group of items"]
    style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333
    style B fill:#ccf,stroke:#333
    style C fill:#cfc,stroke:#333

Watch out:

It may happen that you can't move either the shepherd, the dog or a sheep because a square would be left empty. So you can't move and the die is passed on to the next player

The shepherd, the dog and the sheep have reached their destination as soon as the shepherd is standing on the shepherd's square in front of the stable. From there he can clearly see the Christ child.

Did you roll the symbol of a figure that has already arrived at the stable?

You can choose to move any figure on one square, or, if you choose the star, you can uncover a new tile

End of the game

The game ends as soon as all the figures have reached the stable. Using the figures the children can now retell the story.

Then the game can be rounded off by singing a carol together. The manger of course can stay assembled in the childrens' room.

The Christmas Story

More than 2000 years ago the emperor Augustus sent his messengers to all the countries over which he was governing. There they announced: "The Emperor Augustus, the most powerful man on earth, orders that everybody has to return to the towns of their fathers. There they will be counted!"

The people had no choice. As the emperor had ordered it everybody had to obey, whether they wanted to or not. Mary and her betrothed Joseph set off on the way to Bethlehem, the place of Joseph's ancestors.

As Mary was pregnant, both were concerned. An angel had told her that God would give her a son, and that it would not be just any child but a very special one. He would be the son of God.

The journey was arduous. Mary and Joseph could only move on very slowly. Finally they arrived in Bethlehem. But where could they stay? The town was overcrowded. Was there no room for them anywhere?

Mary was aware that her child would soon be born. There must be a place for them, somewhere! The y asked and searched everywhere, but nobody could help them. Everybody told them to go on searching.

Night fell, and it was dark and cold. Mary and Joseph were full of despair when suddenly they saw an empty little stable. The floor was covered with straw and a manger stood in the corner. Overjoyed they entered the stable.

During the dark cold night a little child was born in this stable. Mary put him in swaddling clothes and laid him down in the manger. She looked closely at the child; he looked just as small and helpless as any other baby.

Yet, it was a very special child. The angel had told her that it would bring the peace of God to the world.

But that was a secret. Nobody in Bethlehem could have foreseen what had happened that night. But soon they would know; Jesus, the saviour of the world had been born

Mary and Joseph, however, were not the only ones awake that night. Outside Bethlehem the shepherds were tending their sheep. The night was dark and everything around them was quiet.

Suddenly they were startled; a light arose and became brighter and brighter, bright as day. This bright light, brighter even than the sun, appeared to the shepherds in the middle of the night. An angel appeared in this light

The shepherds did not know what was happening. Were they awake or dreaming? They were blinded by the light and trembled with fear.

The angel calmed the shepherds down and said: "Don't be afraid! This night something very special has happened. Jesus, the Son of God has been born. You will find a child here in Bethlehem, he is wrapped in swaddling clothes and lies in a manger".

No sooner had he said these words, suddenly many more angels appeared in the sky. The angels all sang and cheered with joy.

The shepherds stood there without moving and listened. They had never heard such beautiful singing.

When the chant was over, it got quiet again and dark around them.

The shepherds looked at each other and shouted: "Did you hear what the angel has said? The Son of God has been born today here in Bethlehem. In our town! Come quickly everybody, we have to find him! We have to go immediately to Bethlehem!"

The shepherds walked as quickly as their feet could carry them to Bethlehem.

Everybody wanted to be the first to see the child. They searched everywhere in town and finally found Mary and Joseph in the little stable.

They carefully looked into the stable. In the middle of the stable, there really was a child lying in the manger. A tiny baby! Yet, this child was the Son of God!

Breathless, the shepherds told Mary and Joseph what they had seen. They spoke of the light and the angel, without forgetting the beautiful singing.

Mary listened with astonishment. The shepherds left the stable in order to spread the news all over the town. Happily they wandered through the streets in the night and cheered and sang. "The saviour has been born", they shouted. "Listen, the Son of God has been born, the angel's have told us. Here in our town! We have seen him ourselves."

On their way home they sang the songs they had heard. They remembered the small child lying in the manger of that small stable, and the words of the angel.

In those days three astrologers lived in the East where the sun rises. They were wise and intelligent men and knew every constellation and star in the sky.

As they observed the sky that night, they suddenly saw a star they had never seen before. This star was shining much brighter than all the other stars.

"What star is that?" they shouted. That looks like a royal star, for sure, somewhere a new king has been born. But where? In which country?

They studied their writings and thought for a long time. Suddenly one of the wise men shouted: "The child has probably been born in the country of the Jews!"

"Exactly, it has to be in the country of the Jews!"

"Come, we must search for this child and bring him gifts".

The wise men saddled their camels, loaded them with precious gifts and set off on their way in search of the child.

They crossed endless deserts and foreign countries, high mountains and deep valleys. They were travelling many weeks until they finally reached the country of the Jews. But where should they look for the child of the king?

Without a doubt the child must live in a king's palace, they said to themselves and started to search. They searched everywhere but nobody knew anything about a newborn son of a king. When it grew dark and they were about to give up, they looked up into the sky again. And behold! Suddenly the star had appeared again, the same one that they had seen at home.

Full of joy, they rode towards the star. It was shining directly over the stable. "This is where the son of the king has been born?" they asked themselves amazed. Surprised as they were, they stopped and looked at the small stable.

When they entered carefully, they saw Mary, Joseph and their child, Jesus. Mary held Jesus in her arms and rocked him gently to and fro. He looked like a normal little baby. Yet, it was the king they had been looking for: the king who would be worshipped by all kings!

They fell on their knees, worshipped the child and gave their presents: a small case with ld*, a bowl of incense* and a jar of myrrh*.

Every year at Christmas all people across the world remember this story and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The people gather and often celebrate together.

You must know carols which are sung at Christmas, don't you?

* The astrogers carried and gave to Jesus the three most precious things existing at that time. Gold is still very precious and expensive. In those days incense and myrrh were also very expensive as they had to be sealed and transported a long way.

Incense is extracted from the resins of small spiny trees, (Boswellia), which only grow in Somalia (Africa) and Arabia.

Myrrh is also the resin of a tree which grows in South Arabia.

As these two kinds of fresin have a very aromatic smell, they were already much sought-after. They are still used today for the production of medicaments, ointments and perfumes.

Burning incense or myrrh generates a particularly aromatic smell. So already in ancient times incense was burned for example to evoke a special atmosphere during the mass.

Le histoire de Noël

Le jeu

Illustration of three stylized objects: a lantern with a yellow flower, a green trophy, and a yellow vase (no text or symbols)

But du jeu

Colorful illustration of a colorful arrangement of circular objects with plants and decorative elements, arranged on a teal background (no text or symbols)

Illustration of a golden star with a trailing tail and three yellow stars above it (no text or symbols)

Doel van het spel

Colorful abstract composition with circular and rectangular elements arranged on a teal background (no text or symbols)

graph TD
    A["goea"] --> B["Group 1"]
    B --> C["Group 2"]
    C --> D["fout"]

Illustration of a green palm tree with textured green and black edges (no text or symbols)

El juego

Colorful abstract illustration of a garden scene with red and green circles, flowers, and geometric shapes on a teal background (no text or symbols)

Illustration of three stylized objects: a lantern with a flame, a green glass with chocolate drops, and a yellow vase (no text or symbols)

Scopo del gioco

Colorful illustration of a food arrangement with red, green, and blue circular objects arranged on a teal background (no text or symbols)

Inventive Playthings for Inquisitive Minds

Colorful clay model of a rabbit wearing a blue outfit with white limbs and polka dots, set against a yellow background (no text or symbols)

Baby & Kleinkind

Infant Toys

Jouets premier âge

Ba by & kleuter

Colorful abacus made from children's toys with two smiling figures on the left (no text or symbols)

Geschen ke

Gifts

Cadeaux

Geschenken

Regalos

Regali

Two pink flower-shaped objects with green stems against a yellow background (no text or symbols)

Kinderschmuck

Children's jewelry

Bijoux d'enfants

Kindersierade n

Joyería infantil

Children learn about the world

through play. HABA makes it easy for them with games and toys which arouse curiosity, with imaginative furniture, delightful accessories, jewelry, gifts and much more. HABA encourages big ideas for our diminutive explorers.