The tradition of placing a Christmas tree as well as the life-size Nativity scene in Saint Peter's Square started in 1982 during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II,[1] when the Polish-born Pope introduced the northern European symbol of Christmas spirit.[2] The tradition of erecting a Christmas Tree was celebrated in northern and central Europe, also in Poland Pope John Paul II's country of origin, but not in the Vatican at the time.
The first tree came from Italy. Since then, the offering of the Christmas Tree to the Pope has become an honour, and each year the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a different European country or region.[1][3]
The Christmas tree is installed in the centre of Saint Peter's Square, together with a life-size nativity scene that is unveiled on Christmas Eve.[1] The nativity scene has seventeen life-size statues. Of these, nine are the original figures donated in 1842 by SaintVincent Pallotti for the nativity scene in the Roman church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, and the other eight figures were added over the course of the years. In 2006 the Italian province of Trentino, and the local council of a village of Tesero, have provided a further thirteen sculpted wooden figures and animals, as well as household utensils for the depiction of daily life.[4]
On Friday, December 10, the lighting of the tree took place along with the inauguration of the Nativity scene. The Vatican Governorate used sustainable low-energy LED lighting, as has been custom in the past years. Weighing eight tons, the tree was from a sustainable forestry management project in the northern Italian region of Trentino, and was a gift to the Vatican from the Trentino Delegation along with 600 wooden decorations handcrafted by Andalo artisans.[7][8][9]
The tree was illuminated by 18,000 LED lights and decorated with the ceramic ornaments, made by children in hospitals across Italy who are receiving treatment for cancer and other illnesses. The Christmas tree and the Nativity scene was lit on December 9.[13]
The tree was a gift from Ukraine, a spruce from the Zakarpattia Oblast, 30.5 meters high and with a trunk of 56 centimeters. It had more than 700 branches, which were decorated with 2,500 silver- and gold-colored baubles illuminated by white and yellow lights. It was raised on December 5 and inaugurated on December 16 in the presence of bishops from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.[18][19]
94 years old tree.[20] The tree came from a PEFC certified, sustainable managed forest surrounding Lüsen in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It was lit in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI on 17 December.[21]
The tree was 90 years old, more than 30 meters high, weighed 14 tons, with a trunk circumference of 2.65 metres, and branches at the bottom spread out 8 metres[3][1]
The giant tree came from a PEFC certified, sustainably managed Ardennes forests in the Belgian region of Wallonia near the town of Spa.[2][3] It was decorated with 2,000 gold and silver colored bulbs and 1,500 lights. The lights were turned on by two children from Belgium[22] during the opening ceremony held on 18 December 2009.[23] The tree was adorned with white and gold ornaments.[22]
The Belgian town of Spa also donated 40 small fir trees to decorate the halls and rooms of the Vatican City.[23]
The Christmas tree was donated by a group of Austrian pilgrims from the town of Afiesl, which is located in a province of Upper Austria. They also donated 32 small trees to decorate the papal apartments.[28]
A 98-foot-tall, 110-year-old spruce tree from the northern Italian region of Valle D'Aosta[30] The Christmas tree, along with twenty other smaller ones that have been placed in and around the Vatican, were the gifts of the northern Italian region of Valle D'Aosta to the Pope for Christmas 2003.
Pope John Paul II spent seven summer vacations in Valle D'Aosta, and one large Alpine mountain on the border with France has been named after him. The tree was symbolically presented to the Pope by three hundred people from Valle D’Aosta, including the governor of the region, at the general audience.[30]
