Christmas will look different this year: Due to Corona, the Pope is only planning the celebrations in the Vatican in a small circle. And in Germany many Christmas markets have already been canceled.
Because of the corona pandemic, Pope Francis will hold this year’s Christmas celebrations “in private” and broadcast them online. This emerges from a verbal note sent by the Vatican State Secretariat to the ambassadors to the Holy See. The usual presence of the diplomatic corps is therefore not provided. It is not yet clear to what extent believers can participate in the services at all.
As at Easter, the celebrations in the Vatican should take place with the participation of fewer clergy and religious. Francis gave the blessing “Urbi et orbi” in the empty St. Peter’s Basilica. Usually the Pope also gives a speech on Christmas Day from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and donates the blessing “for the city and the world”. Even before the outbreak of the corona pandemic, services and masses of the Pope were broadcast live on the Internet and on the radio on important holidays.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the 83-year-old head of the Catholic Church had canceled many meetings and trips. The Italian government has tightened its measures to contain the pandemic in the past few days due to the increasing number of new corona infections.
Many Christmas markets have already been canceled
In Germany too, many events at Christmas time are on the brink. The Christmas markets in cities such as Düsseldorf, Cologne, Erfurt, Freiburg, Lübeck and Frankfurt have already been canceled – on Monday the world-famous Christmas market in Nuremberg also came to an end. The popular Berlin Christmas Magic on Gendarmenmarkt also fell victim to the pandemic. The health and economic risks have become incalculable in view of the increasing number of new infections, said a spokesman.
Other cities are preparing for the Christmas markets despite the pandemic and rising numbers of infections. In order to protect visitors as best as possible, the requirements are strict in many places. While in Munich or at the famous Striezelmarkt in Dresden, the hustle and bustle is to be spatially equalized over a larger area and with fewer stands, the organizers are planning access controls at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz in order to avoid crowds. In Essen, guests have to wear mouth and nose protection at the stands, in Leipzig gastronomic offers such as bratwurst or mulled wine stands are even completely prohibited.
While many cities have already decided for or against a Christmas market, the planning has not yet been completed in many places – for example in Bremen. The Senate will probably make the decision this week, as a spokesman for the economic department announced.
