Current Position: Earth Sector, U.S.A. Outpost
Mission Status: Relaxed, it's Christmas!!
Checking the memory chips, I found these "Medieval Christmas Moments":Year - Event
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800 - Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome—a symbolic fusion of Christian and imperial power.
1066 - William the Conqueror crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, just months after the Battle of Hastings.
1100 - King Henry I of England crowned on Christmas Day at Westminster Abbey, reinforcing royal legitimacy through sacred timing.
1223 - St. Francis of Assisi creates the first live nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, using real animals and villagers to reenact the birth of Christ.
1226 - King Henry III hosts a lavish feast at Reading Abbey, ordering salmon, venison, boar, and lampreys—an early example of royal Christmas excess.
1349 - Christmas Mass held in plague-ravaged Europe, with many churches offering prayers for deliverance during the Black Death.
1393 - “The Goodman of Paris” outlines a Christmas feast, detailing courses of pasties, sausages, fish, roast meats, custards, and sweetmeats—a glimpse into bourgeois celebration.
1430s - Boy bishops elected in monasteries during the Feast of the Holy Innocents (Dec 28), symbolizing humility and reversal of roles in Christmas week.
1470 - York Mystery Plays performed during Christmastide, dramatizing biblical scenes including the Nativity, with elaborate costumes and pageantry.
1492 - Spanish monarchs celebrate Christmas after the fall of Granada, marking the end of Muslim rule in Spain and the rise of Christian dominance.
Traditional Vatican Christmas Meals: Historically, papal households have not hosted lavish public Christmas dinners. Instead, the emphasis has been on liturgical celebrations (Midnight Mass, Urbi et Orbi blessing) and acts of charity.
Italian Customs: In Rome, families celebrate Christmas Eve with fish dishes and Christmas Day with roast meats, pasta, and panettone. These traditions spill into Vatican life, but the “biggie” events are those that extend hospitality to the marginalized.
From the perforated edge of history to the inked whispers of devotion, we gather not merely to collect — but to commemorate. I extend my metallic hand (and springy antenna) in celebration of our shared mission:• To preserve the sacred stories etched in postage.
• To honor the saints, popes, and pilgrims who grace our miniature canvases.
• To ritualize the joy of discovery — one stamp, one cancellation, one holy hinge at a time.
Let us continue to archive wonder, to animate tradition, and to stamp our way toward eternity. With a stamp held high and a heart full of joy, peace and goodwill to all!!
Vatican 2023 Christmas Stamp
— VPSrobot
To see the VPS slideshow on Vatican Christmas stamps clink on the following link:https://vaticanstamps.org/stamplist/vsd30.php?topic=Christmas
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