Italian American Herald - December 2020

LOCAL NEWS
Trial lawyers deliver help to Food Bank
THE CHEF’S PERSPECTIVE How to handle an autumnal appetite
ACHIEVERS
George Bochetto a fearless fighter in courtroom
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DECEMBER 2020
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A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER SERVING THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
WWW.ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM
By Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo
Buon Natale! This is a time of year when millions of the faithful will celebrate the most sacred and joyous time of the year. During Christmas season at the Vatican, the small city-state welcomes visitors from all over the world. While many are of the Catholic faith, others who are not can also appreciate the beauty and solemnity of the season which celebrates centuries-old traditions. These festivities and observances come from both
secular and religious traditions of Italy, The Vatican, geographically part of the
eternal city of Rome, is a separate nation with its own government under the authority and jurisdiction of the Holy See. It has its own post office, radio station and newspaper. The city-state is governed as a theocracy and its economy is supported by donations and the fees charged to visit its world-renowned museums. However, this independent nation is intrinsically tied to the history and culture of Italy. While many languages are spoken
within the tiny city-state, as a lingua franca, Italian replaced Latin as the official language as of the Synod of Bishops in 2014.
As one of the most important Christian holidays of the year, Christmas at the Vatican starts a few weeks before December 25. While the Catholic Church recognizes the first Sunday of Advent as an important event leading up to Christmas Day, it’s not the official start of the winter holiday season. The official season begins with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8.
This year’s unveiling of the enormous Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square will take place on Dec. 11 in the afternoon. The 92-foot majestic spruce, which has been designated the tallest spruce in Europe and is about 300 years old, will be donated and transported from the Slovenian city of Kocˇ evje. Pope John Paul II began the tradition of displaying a tree in St. Peter’s Square back in 1982 and though the original tree came from Italy, now a different EU country donates a tree each year.
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Christmas at the Vatican
Holiday traditions are both old and new
Vol. 7 / No. 12