A piece of wood worshipped as part of the manger in which Jesus was born has been returned to the Holy Land. The relic — an early Christmas present from the Vatican — will go on display at a church in Bethlehem.
Image: Fotolia/A. Hoffmann
Advertisement
A procession and mass were held in Jerusalem on Friday to mark the return of a wooden fragment reputed to be from the crib of Jesus Christ.
The thumb-sized wooden fragment, part of a relic stored in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome — was described as a "gift" from Pope Francis to a Franciscan order of monks in Bethlehem.
The Custody of the Holy Land priory, which was presented with the fragment, said it came from relics donated to the papacy in the seventh century.
"It has contributed for centuries to marking the religiousness of the faithful in Rome and from elsewhere," the priory said.
While the provenance of such ancient relics is often questionable, they are revered by the faithful.
The pieces were a gift from Patriarch of Jerusalem St Sophronius to Pope Theodore I.
"It has contributed for centuries to marking the religiousness of the faithful in Rome and from elsewhere," the priory said.
After a day of celebrations, the piece was set to be transferred from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Once there, it will go on permanent display at St Catherine's Church.
9 heavenly places
Every year, children send their wishes for Christmas to higher beings such as St. Nicholas, the Christkind or Santa Claus, who have post offices all over the world. Some of them can even be visited.
Image: Rovaniemen Matkailuneuvonta
Nikolausdorf
Letters addressed to St. Nicholas are most likely to arrive in Nikolausdorf in Lower Saxony. For over 50 years, the saint has had his office here. Together with his team from the local elemenary school, he replies to the children's wishes and worries. Sometimes, he even writes personalized answers.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/I. Wagner
Engelskirchen
In Germany, another figure used to distribute presents before Santa Claus started coming to town: the Christkind, or "Christ child." The angel's post office is located in Engelskirchen (which literally translates as Angel's Churches). The Christmas post office in North Rhine-Westphalia answers to approximately 130,000 letters from 50 countries every year.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kastl
Nuremberg
In Nuremberg, you can even meet the Christkind in person, as the angel traditionally opens the world-famous Christkindlesmarkt with a solemn speech. The Christ Child also greets visitors at the market every day. Every two years, a new girl slips into the costume with the golden wings and blond curls. As the ambassador of Nuremberg, the "Christkindle," as it's called there, is world famous.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Karmann
Steyr, Christkindl district
A member of the US Army had the idea of setting up a special post office in the Christkindl district of the Austrian city of Steyr. The Christ Child there began its work in 1950. Since then, millions of letters have been sent to Christkindl. Every response letter from there comes with a special stamp.
Santa Claus has more than enough to do during the Advent season, too. His living room is located up in the attic of the former school building in Himmelpfort, Brandenburg. Upon request, you can even visit him there. In Himmelpfort, Santa Claus speaks over 15 languages fluently and even receives mail from China.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Settnik
Rovaniemi
You can find Santa's workshop village on the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland. In Rovaniemi, the Arctic Circle runs through "Santa Claus Village," located eight kilometers north of the city center where it is clearly marked. The mail sent here receives the popular polar circle stamp. In addition, numerous workshop stores offer even more souvenirs.
Image: Rovaniemen Matkailuneuvonta
Weliki Ustjug
Sacks of fan mail are also sent to Father Frost, the Russian counterpart of Santa Claus. In 1999, the provincial town north of Moscow was officially named the Russian hometown of Father Frost. An adventure park attracts visitors all year round - with a positive side effect on the city's economy. The unemployment rate in the whole area has dropped since.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/V. Smirnov
North Pole
Of course, Santa Claus has another domicile in the USA: the small town of North Pole in Alaska, where it is Christmas all the time. Even the street names in the festively-decorated town sound christmassy: Santa Claus Lane, Snowman Lane, St. Nicholas Drive. The most prominent inhabitant is Santa Claus himself.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Bäsemann
Demre
The origin of the gift-bringing man with the white beard lies in Turkey. Archbishop Nicholas of Myra lived in today's Demre. He is said to have distributed his wealth among the poor during the fourth century. Thousands of people make an annual pilgrimage to the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre on December 6 to honor the saint.
Image: picture-alliance/Dumont/M. Tueremis
9 images1 | 9
St Catherine's is adjacent to the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square — the reputed site of Jesus' birth and a popular place of pilgrimage for Christians throughout the year.
