It's a small world at Christmas
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December 24, 2013 |
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It's a small world, especially at Christmas. You
wouldn't, in the most arcane Geography Bee, ever
imagine a connection between people in a small
town in North Idaho, those in a Bavarian
Village, or how that tie has brightened the
Basilica at the Vatican.
Here's the Christmas story that connects those
far-flung dots.
Per information from Wikipedia, the Vatican
Christmas Tree, or the St Peter’s Square
Christmas Tree as it is also called, is the
decorated tree that is erected annually in the
St Peter’s Square directly in front of St
Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City to
celebrate the Christmas holiday season.
The tradition of placing a Christmas Tree in the
St Peter’s Square started in 1982 during the
pontificate of Pope John Paul II, when the
Polish-born Pope introduced the Northern
European symbol of Christmas Spirit. The
tradition of erecting a Christmas Tree was
celebrated in northern Europe and in Poland,
Pope John Paul II’s country of origin, but not
in the Vatican at that time.
The first tree came from Italy.
Since then, the offering of the Christmas Tree
to the Pope has become an honor, and each year
the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a
different European country or region.
The 2013 Vatican Christmas Tree came from the
small town of Waldmunchen, Bavaria,
Germany. Waldmunchen is where John Alt, Bonners
Ferry, and his brothers and sisters were born
and raised. It is near the Czech border in
northeast Bavaria.
John’s niece, Claudia Alt Spaeth still lives
there, and she was on their local committee
which applied to have their tree chosen. The
competition, as always, was fierce, but their
was this year's winner for the state of Bavaria
and the country of Germany.
The committee of 100 people from Waldmunchen
went by bus to Rome while the tree was
transported by a local trucking firm. They even
had a private audience with Pope Francis!
Claudia and the committee were honored to be
able to accompany the tree to Rome and are shown
above with the lighted tree.
Claudia is the daughter of Franz and Maria Alt
of the small farm village of Hochabrunn, a few
miles from Waldmunchen and the niece of John,
Erwin, Herb and the late Al Alt, who all came
from that farm to Bonners Ferry in the 1950s and
early 60s.
John spent several years living with his uncles
on their farm where his mother and his Aunt
Rosie were raised right on the Czech border. |
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