Vatican City, Nov 17, 2018 / 16:25 pm
The Vatican's nativity scene will be a little bit different this year. In a departure from the traditional Neapolitan or Maltese figures of recent years, the scene of Christ's birth will be entirely sculpted from sand.
Beginning Nov. 17, four artists are beginning their work in St. Peter's Square, crafting nearly 46,000 cubic feet of sand, equal to around 700 tons, into a grand "Sand Nativity."
The creators, who have been sculpting sand nativities in the Italian town of Jesolo for years, say on their website that the goal is "to build the largest sand nativity in Christendom in the center of Rome in order to provide moments of authentic and joyful contemplation to all those who love Christmas."