Camels and Kings
The beautiful tradition of setting up nativity scenes at Christmas dates back to St. Francis of Assisi, who, according to his friend and follower, St. Bonaventure:
"... prepared a manger, and brought hay, and an ox and an ass to the place appointed. The brethren were summoned, the people ran together, the forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise." (Life of St. Francis of Assisi)
We have, however, taken some imaginative turns in our devotion to the Christ child. For example, the gospel accounts of Jesus' birth mention nothing about camels and kings!
The Gospel of Matthew mentions "magi" from the east (sometimes translated as "astrologers" or "wise men"). "Magi" is plural for "magus," which refers to "a member of a hereditary priestly class among the ancient Medes and Persians." The magi are found only in Matthew 2, where no mention is made of how many magi visited (three comes from the number of gifts given).
Camels are probably an artist's invention (from way back) to highlight the foreign and eastern character of the visitors. Camels had been domesticated for travel thousands of years before Christ's birth, so it is entirely possible that visitors from the east would arrive on camel, if they were rich enough to afford that conveyance. And if we imagine our visitors to the Christ child as wealthy, it's only a short imaginative leap from "magi" to "kings"--especially given the high value of the gifts described in the gospel story.
Remember, though, that the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke are unique in the gospel narratives in that they may or may not be based on historical events. But that's a subject for another day!
