Netherlands sends a sea of flowers to Vatican City for Easter celebration

Thousands of blessed flowers are traveling from Keukenhof to Rome to be part of the Easter celebrations at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Approximately 7,000 flowers will cover the 1,600 km journey from the Netherlands, having first been blessed at Keukenhof Lisse by Bishop Hans van den Hende of Rotterdam, who also serves as the president of the Dutch Bishops’ Conference, as part of a longstanding tradition.

This is now the 40th time that Dutch flowers are brought to the Vatican for Easter. The tradition started in 1985 following Pope John Paul II’s visit to Utrecht. The floral display left such a strong impression that the Dutch flower industry was commissioned that same year to supply flowers for the beatification of Dutch priest Titus Brandsma. It has continued as an annual Easter tradition since 1986.

The initiative gave rise to the famous Dutch anecdote of Pope John Paul II saying, “Thank you for the flowers.”

For this edition, massive numbers of flowers and branches will be used, including 65,000 bulbs of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths; 7,800 cut flowers like roses, chrysanthemums, gerberas, and delphiniums; and 600 branches from trees such as birch and willow.

They will decorate St. Peter’s Square and the basilica for the Easter Mass, traditionally celebrated by the pope. Dutch florists and the horticultural sector collaborate with church authorities to arrange this floral display for the festivities.

The flowers are set to reach Rome before Easter, allowing them to be arranged around the altar and St. Peter’s Square. Local florists and decorators in Rome handle the preparations to ensure everything is ready for the festivities.

The flowers provide the backdrop for the Urbi et Orbi blessing, an event broadcast each year to over a billion viewers around the world through TV and online streaming.