The Vatican unveils its 2025 Christmas tree and Nativity scenes on December 15, featuring religious symbols and a Costa Rican display with 28,000 ribbons.

The Vatican will unveil its 2025 Christmas tree and Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square on December 15, marking the start of the holiday season. The 80-foot Norway spruce, from South Tyrol, Italy, will be adorned with religious and cultural symbols, including a life-size Nativity scene crafted by Federico Iaccarino featuring figures tied to the region. The display includes historical elements like a sixth-century baptistery and a fisherman with an anchor, symbolizing faith. A luminous anchor-shaped star crowns the scene. The ceremony, led by Sister Raffaella Petrini, includes Vatican and Italian officials. A separate Nativity scene from Costa Rica, “Nacimiento Gaudium,” will also be unveiled, featuring a pregnant Virgin Mary and 28,000 ribbons symbolizing lives protected by Catholic outreach. The Costa Rican delegation, including the First Lady, will meet with Pope Leo XIV.