Posted on 09/08/2005 10:08:58 AM PDT by NYer
TRADITION is making a comeback this Christmas, with Melbourne to include an old-fashioned nativity scene in a $200,000 outlay on festive decorations.
Church groups are delighted Melbourne City Council has bowed to protests from Christians and returned Christ to Christmas.
Council staff cannot remember another city nativity scene.
The council will today announce a major revamp of its Christmas decorations and displays.
The 17m Christmas tree will be at Federation Square opposite St Paul's Cathedral.
Huge "Merry Christmas" banners will be hung throughout the city.
A nativity scene of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and Feast of the Epiphany will be on show from December 8 to January 7.
Where it will be in the city is yet to be decided.
Nativity figures will be on a landscape carved from large polystyrene blocks covered with field moss, sand, soil, artificial vegetation and live trees.
Last Christmas, about 200 people led by the Catholic Youth Ministry sang carols on the steps of Town Hall and had a live nativity scene to protest the exclusion of Christ from the city's decorations.
Lord Mayor John So joined his critics in singing carols and said Christian celebration of Christmas was welcome in Melbourne.
Catholic auxiliary bishop Christopher Prowse said last night the church was delighted at the move.
"We know that it's linked up with the constructive recommendations we made to the city council last year and we're delighted that there was a follow through," he said.
"The vast majority of Melburnians have no difficulty at all about showcasing the essential meaning of Christmas.
"And our Islamic and Jewish friends are very supportive that this goes ahead."
Bishop Prowse said the church decided to act last year after the council splurged on new decorations, but not a nativity scene.
"I think what shocked us into action was that so much money was spent on decorations with no direct link to the first Christmas," he said.
Bishop Prowse said the nativity scene should be displayed at Federation Square or another prominent public place.
Cr So said last night the decision to have a nativity scene followed his discussions with church leaders and last year's "success" of the carol singing outside Town Hall.
Among other council plans, the Nike billboard at the corner of Swanston St and Bourke St will display a giant "Celebrate Melbourne" banner from December 1 to 30.
New decorations are being designed for the City Square and Bourke St Mall, which is having a dramatic $5.75 million make-over scheduled to finish next month.
And new overhead lights on wires, like those at Federation Square, will be strung around the Christmassy city.
Either the writer got a little quick with the keyboard or it's been a while since they've been to church. Where's a proofreader when you need one?
From the feast to the feast, in duration, I'm sure he meant. Wouldn't it be nice if reporters took the time to perfect their trade?
At first, I thought it was an Aussie lingo thing. I can just imagine the reporter looking down at the hastily scribbled notes after hanging up the phone, "What was it they said?"
And then, "D'I know any churchgoers to call? Hmmm, right, got an 'appy hour to make."
They've probably never been to church, but I would imagine they meant that it starts on the first and ends on the latter. However, some Nativity scenes (in Spain, notably) do include feasts other than just the Nativity itself. Heck, some go from the meeting of Ana and Joaquim at the Golden Gate of the Temple (supposedly moment of conception of the Virgin Mary) through the Baptism in the Jordan. And then they take up the story again with the Passion a few months later.
Must be symbolic of the moment.
Sounds like Melbourne needs a chapter of the Anti-Christian Liberals Union.
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