Christmas in the Vatican
Throughout the Christian world, Christmas is one of the most beloved holidays. The inhabitants of the northern countries celebrate it especially magnificently and cheerfully, where winter days are short, nights are long, and the lack of warmth and light is compensated for during the days of celebrations with strong drinks and an abundance of glowing decorations on Christmas trees, in shop windows, making bonfires, launching firecrackers, salutes and fireworks.
In the Vatican, Christmas is celebrated a little differently. In Rome, shops close early on this day and the city is empty. The houses are barely decorated. With the first star, the family gathers around the festive table, which traditionally includes fish, vegetables and pastries. Well, there is enough Italian wine. But no fireworks and round dances around the tree. The Christmas tree is not installed in all families. Even Santa Claus does not come to them this evening.
Christmas Mass
The main Christmas tree in Italy is installed on St. Peter's Square. In St. Peter's Basilica at 21-30, Christmas Mass begins. The cathedral can accommodate up to 60 thousand people, but there are many more who want to get there on Christmas night. And those who were not lucky enough to buy a ticket to the main service remain in the square, which can accommodate another 400 thousand people, and for them the Christmas Mass is broadcast on large screens..
What can you see on Christmas night
These days, in every Catholic cathedral, a nativity scene is invariably displayed - the legendary cave in which Christ was born among sheep, goats, and pigs. Figures of people and animals are carved, sometimes life-size, from olive and richly decorated. The scenes of the birth of Christ with wooden figurines of the participants in this event look so touching that they cannot but cause awe in the soul of even the most ossified atheist. Sometimes in Rome, exhibitions of nativity scenes are organized, where you can see products that have come down to us from the Middle Ages..
On Christmas night, you can see bagpipe shepherds on the streets of Rome. In their exotic outfits, they are ready to torment your ears with the sounds of bagpipes for free, and until you run away from them..
Christmas message
The next day, exactly at noon, the Pope goes out to his balcony and addresses the flock gathered in St. Peter's Square with a Christmas message «To hail and peace» (Urbi et orbi). And for this moment, hundreds of thousands of Catholics from different countries come here to hear the good news from the Pope himself and receive a blessing from him..
Vatican Museums
But visiting the Vatican and not visiting its museums is an unforgivable mistake. You can write about them endlessly, and still not say anything. You can only see. And the delight that gripped you in their halls will eclipse everything that you have seen up to this moment and will forever settle in your soul the desire to return to the Vatican..
