INAUGURATION CEREMONY FOR THE NATIVITY SCENE AND THE LIGHTING OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN SAINT PETER’S SQUARE

Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga and Sr. Raffaella Petrini, respectively, President and Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, will inaugurate the Nativity Scene and light the Christmas tree, that will be on display in Saint Peter’s Square throughout the Christmas season. The inauguration ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m., on 7 December.

In the morning of the same day, “The Nativity of Bethlehem 2024”, will be inaugurated in the Paul VI Hall, a collection of nativity scenes made in Bethlehem by local artisans. A representative of the Embassy of the State of Palestine to the Holy See, will attend the inauguration.

Delegations from the places of origin of the Nativity Scene and the Christmas tree, which will participate in the evening ceremony, will be received in audience by Pope Francis for the official presentation of the gifts.

Among others, the Delegation from Grado in the Diocese of Gorizia, which is donating the nativity scene, will be represented by Bishop Carlo Roberto Redaelli of Gorizia, Mr. Antonio Boemo, curator of the project, Mr. Giuseppe, Corbatto, Mayor of Grado and the civic band, “City of Grado”.

The delegation from Ledro in the Diocese of Trento, which is donating the Christmas tree, will include Bishop Lauro Tisi of Trento, Mr. Maurizio Fugatti, President of Trento Region, Mr. Renato Girardi, Mayor of Ledro, the Cima Oro Choir, the Musical Band of Val di Ledro and the Accordion group, Città di Arco.

The nativity scene and the Christmas tree in Saint Peter’s Square will be on display until the conclusion of the Christmas Season, which coincides with the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, 12 2025.

In addition to the centrality of the birth of Baby Jesus, the theme of the nativity scene from Grado is love. It depicts scenes from daily lives, filled with affection and activity.

The nativity scene from the seaside town of Grado, known as “the daughter of Aquileia and mother of Venice, was made by some 40 volunteers, including professionals and artists, many of the them from local associations.

Its setting is its unique living lagoon, historically linked to the distant time of the Patriarchs.

The lagoon was inhabited permanently by some 100 dwellers, known as “casoneri” because of their “casoni”, traditional homes made from reeds.

The Nativity is set inside a “casone”, made by the father and daughter team, Lorenzo and Francesca Boemo, who also made all the statues, which are filled with mud from the lagoon. The nativity scene is set in the 1900s.

The “casoneri” went to Grado only three times a year, for Easter, for the “Perdòn de Barbana”, a votive procession in which the people of Grado gave thanks to Our Lady of the Sanctuary of the island of Barbana, and at Christmas.

Mr. Antonio Boemo created the concept and coordinated the activities of the nativity scene that will soon “land” in Saint Peter’s Square, while the architect, Mr. Andrea de Walderstein provided its detailed designs and acted as technical coordinator.

The term “landing” is both apt and relevant because the nativity scene includes a long bank (100 metres of blocks of polystyrene worked by hand), the presence of water, with two “batele”, traditional flat-bottomed boats used to travel about the lagoon, and a small beach depicting a grandmother keeping watch over her grandchildren and a dog.

Aside from the children, who attended school on the island of Anfora, everyone in the lagoon worked to contribute to make ends meet, including women. This is why the nativity scene depicts a fisherwoman in the act of helping her husband navigate the “batela” carrying the Magi.

Like in reality, some “briccole”, wooden structures used to indicate the direction to Aquileia, to the Marian Sanctuary of Our Lady of Barbana, to Trieste and to Venice, lie in the middle of the lagoon. The scene includes native flora and local avifauna made by 3D printing. To avoid the mass arrival of seagulls, two ultrasound repellents with varying frequencies were installed.

Grado’s passion for nativity scenes has deep roots. For many years now, the town has displayed nativity scenes along the alleys of its Venetian-influenced historic centre, which includes two beautiful paleochristian basilicas (the one dedicated to Saint Euphemia was consecrated by Patriarch Elia in 579) and in other parts of the city, including some of its halls.

The Nativity scene that will be on display in the Paul VI Hall is from the Holy Land – the place where the history of salvation unfolded, the land in which the Lord lived and the site of his Incarnation, birth, passion, death and resurrection, today the scene of daily destruction, conflict, grieving and violence. The artistic installation was given the title, “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024”, and was designed by two artists from Bethlehem: Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi. Measuring three metres, it is composed of a circular base, with various levels on which a series of nativity scenes is displayed. The top portion displays the famous star of Bethlehem. The nativity scene brings together the centuries-old tradition of local artisanship and contemporary elements. The main part of the structure is made of iron, while the statues of the Holy Family and other characters are made of olive wood, nacre, stone, ceramic, glass and fabric. During its preparation, the collection of materials and its construction, the artists were assisted by various local Christian institutions.

The 29-metre-tall majestic mature fir tree from Ledro, Trento, was not chosen only for its aesthetic qualities, but also with attention to the environment. Its removal will guarantee the natural exchange of the forest over the next decades. The forests in the territory are PEFC-certified, which means that they are managed according to the strictest environmental, social and economic criteria. The annual regrowth of the forests of Ledro includes 8,260 cubic metres of land, and the fir tree that was chosen is part of a group of trees that will be cut to ensure the sustainable management of the forest.

Ledro’s Christmas gift to Pope Francis is not limited to the Christmas tree in the Square. In fact, associations, institutions, bodies and groups of citizens and individuals have dedicated themselves to decorating 39 additional smaller trees to be placed in offices, public places and buildings of the Holy See.