For Christmas, Belgium sends 100-foot Tree to St. Peter's.

(Dec.08,2009): The Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square this year is a fir from the Ardennes forest of Belgium. The 30-meter tree is a 100 years old. It has a 7-meter diameter and weighs 14 tons. The tree was set up on Friday to the right of the obelisk in St. Peter’s Square. Decorated in Vatican colours - gold and white,it was lit up Tuesday on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
The tradition of placing a Christmas tree and a Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square goes back only to 1982 and was an initiative of late Pope John Paul II . Pope Benedict XVI has followed this tradition and has also highlighted the cultural and artistic value of Nativity scenes, saying they are not just a spiritual tradition. St. Peter's Nativity scene has nine figures that were part of a scene prepared by St. Vincent Palloti in 1842 in the Church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, located in the heart of Rome.
The Nativity scene is customarily inaugurated on Dec. 24 and remains up until Feb. 2, feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem. For the past 27 years, different regions of Italy and Europe have taken turns in donating a tree for Christmas. This year's tree will be used to make wooden sculptures, the sales of which will be given to the poor.