On Christmas 2022, the unveiling of the manger and the lighting of the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square will be held on the afternoon of December 3. Due to the bad weather, the ceremony will be held in the Paul VI Hall. Cardinal Behes invited all those present to bring the good news of the Saviour’s birth to all parts of the world. The manger and Christmas tree will be displayed until the Baptism Day on January 8 next year.
(Vatican News Network)Due to the bad weather, the unveiling of the Christmas manger and the lighting of the Christmas tree, originally scheduled for the afternoon of December 3rd in St. Peter’s Square, were rescheduled to be held in the Pope Paul VI Hall. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzag, President of the Vatican City State Government, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General. The lighting ceremony was attended by delegations from Sutrio and Rossello who presented the Christmas manger and Christmas tree.
The lighting ceremony began with the Vatican National Anthem played by the Vatican Gendarmerie, and then Cardinal Behes greeted the people present at the ceremony. He emphasized that this year’s manger and Christmas tree came from two geographically distant areas, but the similarity is that both areas are located in the mountains. Both groups have kept the tradition of real people playing the Annunciation, maintaining the charm and deep meaning of Christmas. The Cardinal invited all those present to bring the good news of the Savior’s birth to all parts of the world.
The manger and Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square, as well as the Christmas manger donated by Guatemala and placed in the Paul VI Hall will be displayed until the end of the Christmas period on January 8, 2023, the feast of the Lord’s Baptism.
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