Culture
Vatican City shares its culture and food with the country surrounding it, Italy, although it is a small country of its own. Vatican City is more of a political state and therefore doesn't have its own unique culture. The following pages will showcase Vatican City's shared cultural identity with Italy.
Religion
Everyone in Vatican City supports Roman Catholicism and is one hundred percent Catholic. It is not a surprise as the pope,
king of Vatican City, is also leader of Roman Catholicism.
They have many religious beliefs. They believe in heaven and hell and of rewards and punishments for one's actions on earth, Jesus, their god, and Vaticans honour their saints, and they believe in life after death.
Language
Some of the languages spoken in Vatican are Italian, French, English, German, Spanish, Greek and Portuguese but the official and main spoken language is Italian. All service employees speak Italian and English.
Festivals & Holidays
Many of the festivals held in Vatican City are identical to the celebrations of the Catholic Church.
The first celebration of the year is New Year's Day, which is also Mary, Mother of God Day, on the 1st of January. On New Year's Day, a parade is held in Saint Peter's Square. The pope starts off with a blessing, then military and civil marching bands perform. Later towards the night, there are also explicit fireworks.
Next, is the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, which is celebrated on the 6th of January. Christians believe that this is the day when Jesus was revealed as the son of god. A parade, consisting of men in medieval garb representing the three men giving gifts to baby Jesus, is arranged and shops, restaurants and attractions close for the day as it is a public holiday.
Religion
Everyone in Vatican City supports Roman Catholicism and is one hundred percent Catholic. It is not a surprise as the pope,
king of Vatican City, is also leader of Roman Catholicism.
They have many religious beliefs. They believe in heaven and hell and of rewards and punishments for one's actions on earth, Jesus, their god, and Vaticans honour their saints, and they believe in life after death.
Language
Some of the languages spoken in Vatican are Italian, French, English, German, Spanish, Greek and Portuguese but the official and main spoken language is Italian. All service employees speak Italian and English.
Festivals & Holidays
Many of the festivals held in Vatican City are identical to the celebrations of the Catholic Church.
The first celebration of the year is New Year's Day, which is also Mary, Mother of God Day, on the 1st of January. On New Year's Day, a parade is held in Saint Peter's Square. The pope starts off with a blessing, then military and civil marching bands perform. Later towards the night, there are also explicit fireworks.
Next, is the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, which is celebrated on the 6th of January. Christians believe that this is the day when Jesus was revealed as the son of god. A parade, consisting of men in medieval garb representing the three men giving gifts to baby Jesus, is arranged and shops, restaurants and attractions close for the day as it is a public holiday.
One of the most important holidays in the church is Easter, the other being Christmas. Easter is when Jesus rose to heaven. Along with Easter are some other holy days on the same week, including, Good Friday (the day Jesus died), Easter Monday (the day after Easter), and a whole lot more. In fact, in Vatican City, the whole week before is called Holy Week! The event usually starts on Good Friday, in St Peter's Square, a huge cross is displayed with torches surrounding it. The pope then gives a blessing to the crowds from St Peter's Basilica on his balcony. On Easter Sunday, people usually plan picnics with family and friends.
On the 29th of June, Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Day is commemorated to remember the revered Saints, Peter and Paul, for the good things they did. Peter was the first to recognise Jesus as god's son and pledged faithfulness until death. Saint Peter was assigned the task to build Christ's church. In his boldness, he made many mistakes throughout his life. He spent his last years in Rome, leading the church. On his own request, Saint Peter was crucified upside-down because he claimed that he wasn't worthy enough to die as his Lord. Saint Paul preached the Gospel tirelessly to the Gentiles of the Mediterranean world. Saint Paul was imprisoned and beheaded. On this celebration, people of Vatican City show their honour to the Saints with various religious rituals led by the pope.
Assumption Day, on the 15th of August, is the day that Virgin Mary ascended into heaven. Vivid processions through the streets and firework displays mark the celebration of Assumption Day. Much of Vatican City is closed on the eve of this day.
November 1, commemorates Saints Day, a religious day that people decorate the graves of ancestors and relatives that have passed away with flowers.
The Vaticans celebrate the day of Jesus' birth on Christmas Day on the 25th of December. A huge Christmas tree is displayed in St Peter's Square and is lit up at night. There are also nativity scenes shown up on screens in the square and at noon, the pope delivers his Christmas message to everyone from his balcony.
The last special festival of the year in Vatican City is St Stephen's Day. You may have heard of Boxing Day, well, St Stephen's Day is also on the 26th of December. St Stephen was an Apostle whose task was to collect donations for the poor. Along with Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day is a public holiday spent with family. Families usually have a big feast on this day.
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