Thousands of flowers -- some 80,000 -- have made the journey from the Netherlands to decorate St. Peter's Square for Easter.
Daffodils, hydrangeas, roses, tulips, chrysanthemums, and more ... As they have done every year for nearly 40 years, Dutch horticulturists are busy decorating St. Peter's Square with lush floral displays for Easter. In total, nearly 80,000 flowers will brighten up St. Peter's Square, covering an area of nearly 170 square meters (almost 30,000 square feet).
On Tuesday, the flowers and plants were blessed by Bishop Hans van den Hende, Bishop of Rotterdam and President of the Dutch Bishops' Conference. Then the convoy of plants departed for Rome.
“This year, the Easter flowers reflect not only the beauty of creation and new life, but also the spiritual depth of the 2025 Jubilee around the theme of 'Pilgrims of Hope,'” says a statement on the operation supported by the Stichting Bloemenpracht.
Special attention will be given this year to the ranunculus (pictured above and known as buttercups), a “graceful and light plant whose airy petals symbolize the joy of a journey filled with hope.”
Some 5,800 ranunculus stems — including 4,000 of the Butterfly variety and 1,800 of the Romance variety — will color the Easter composition.
200,000 olive branches for Palm Sunday
Meanwhile, for Palm Sunday, 200,000 olive branches were distributed, according to the Vatican City Governorate.
Around sixty cardinals and bishops had the famous “parmureli” -- the large white palm leaves that are bleached and then elaborately woven.
The Netherlands has long had a key role in the Easter decorations. The Dutch community in Rome supports the effort.
The Catholic church of the Dutch community there, Sts. Michael and Magnus, is near the Vatican.
