“Sand Nativity” and Christmas tree of St. Peter’s Square unveiled

The Nativity scene in sand and the Christmas tree in the middle of St. Peter’s Square in Rome were inaugurated during a ceremony in the evening of November 7.

By Robin Gomes

This year’s Sand Nativity scene and the Christmas tree of Rome’s St. Peter’s Square was inaugurated Friday evening during an impressive ceremony that included Christmas carols, folk dances and band music.

Hundreds of people, including Church dignitaries applauded as curtains were pulled down revealing the 16-meter wide depiction of the birth of Jesus made entirely of sand and dubbed the "Sand Nativity."

The bas-relief sand sculpture of the Nativity scene is a gift of the Italian seaside resort town of Jesolo, north of Venice, and the Patriarchate of Venice. Over 700 tons of sand from the beach of Jesolo was compacted to create the 16-meter wide and 5-meter tall Nativity sculpture covering 25 square meters.

The some 23-meter tall red fir Christmas tree next to the crib, that was illuminated during the ceremony, is a gift of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region and the diocese of Concordia-Pordenone.

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