The annual dedication of the Christmas crèche in Daley Plaza will take place Saturday, November 30, at noon, joining the Chicago Christmas tree and Christkindlmarket at what has come to be the hub of downtown celebrations of Christmas. This recreation of the scene of the birth of Jesus, central to the holiday, has remained at the city’s center of seasonal festivities for almost three decades.

WHAT: Daley Plaza Nativity Scene assembly and dedication

WHEN: Saturday, November 30, 2013
SET UP begins at 9 a.m. (Central) by the God Squad
DEDICATION is at 12 p.m. noon (Central)
The exhibit will remain on Daley Plaza until December 28.

WHERE: Chicago’s Daley Plaza, 50 W Washington Street, Chicago, IL
MAP: goo.gl/maps/jGQqE

WHO: Open to the public, sponsored by the Nativity Scene Committee

FEATURING:

• Christmas music, with hymn accompanied by the Santa Maria del Popolo Catholic Church bell choir 
    
• The placing of the Baby Jesus in the manger by children in attendance

“The Nativity Scene has been an annual tradition in Daley Plaza since l985 when the beautiful life-size crèche was first displayed,” said Ed O’Malley, co-chair of the Nativity Scene Committee. “This remains the sole religious expression of Christmas on a government plaza in downtown Chicago,” he added. “The God Squad, a group of volunteer tradesmen, will erect the stable and install the lighting as they have for over twenty-five years.” The volunteers will begin assembling the Nativity display at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Children in attendance will have the honor of placing the Baby Jesus in the manger, marking the continued return of the Christ child to what the Nativity Scene Committee calls, “His rightful place in the hearts of the Chicago community.”

The bell choir from Santa Maria del Popolo Catholic Church in Mundelein, Illinois, will ring in the sacred season, along with the singing of Christmas hymns.

The Nativity Scene Committee welcomes all Chicagoans and visitors to inaugurate the Christmas season at Daley Plaza. “A visit to honor the birth of Jesus is the perfect way to kick off a day of enjoying holiday decorations, shopping for gifts, and wrapping oneself in the Christmas spirit.”

The Nativity Scene will remain on Daley Plaza until December 28.

A detailed history of the Chicago Nativity Scene is available here.