Flowers from The Netherlands at Easter in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City

For almost 40 years now it has been a tradition that at Easter St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, Rome, is decorated with all kinds of colorful flower arrangements by Dutch bulb farmers, producers of cut flowers, and a number of growers associations. Under the guidance of Piet van den Burg – the project's chief arranger – a large group of volunteers will give shape to the floral ensemble. Every year again the entire operation is made possible by donations and financial support from a number of important private and public sponsors, brought together in the "Stichting Bloemenpracht". This year, of course, the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee 2025 – which makes it all the more special.

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Organization
On Tuesday 15 April 2025, after having been blessed by Monsignor Hans van den Hende, the Bishop of Rotterdam and also chairman of the Dutch Bishops' Conference, all the flowers and other materials will leave from Keukenhof Lisse with final destination Vatican City.

Easter is the celebration of new life, and of hope. The theme of the Jubilee 2025, "Pilgrims of Hope" (something, which we ultimately all are: people of Hope, Faith, and Love, on our way here on Earth), naturally ties in perfectly with this message of Easter. Both the logo of the Holy Year 2025 and its colors will be clearly recognizable in this year's floral decorations.

Floral splendor
This year, the flowers for Easter not only reflect the beauty of creation and new life, but also© Evanthia BV the deeper meaning of the Holy Year 2025 of "Pilgrims of Hope". The colors from the logo – red, yellow, green and blue – come to life in a carefully composed floral display. Blue is the color of trust, wisdom and peace. Green stands for new life, growth and harmony. The color yellow is associated with joy and happiness, with the divine light – a sign of hope. The color red symbolizes strength, passion, desire, love and sacrifice. This rich color scheme shines through in the stately Delphiniums and the deep blue Hydrangeas; the lush green foliage; the sunny accents of Chrysanthemums and the many bulb flowers in spring colors from the "Bollenstreek"; in the velvety wavy crests of the Celosia cristata. The soft, timeless splendor of the Avalanche roses and a large quantity of white hyacinths unite all these colors into a harmonious whole, as a silent reminder of the continuous cycle of faith, hope and love.

Special attention is given to the main flower of this edition: the playful, graceful Ranunculus, which with their airy petals symbolizes the joy of the hopeful journey, will be incorporated in large numbers and in many colors in the arrangements. Together, these flowers form a powerful and symbolic greeting to Pope Francis – a message of unity and love, as well as hope and confidence in the future.

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