Why does Joseph have a staff in nativity scenes?

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In the Luke account, Joseph and Mary had just walked about 60 miles from Nazareth to the Jerusalem suburbs (Bethlehem is about 5 miles away.) The countryside is hilly, and there are some dangerous places too.

Personally, if I'm walking more than a mile or so, I'm going to take a stick. And, if I've got a pregnant girl I need to protect, I'm doubly sure I'm going to have a stick. Theology aside, this would be a very practical thing to take on a long walk in a dangerous area.

As an artist, if I'm trying to remind people that Joseph was on a journey, this would b a very simple shorthand for conveying that imagery.

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