Brazil's iconic Christ the Redeemer
(Cristo Redentor) statue was lit red on Sunday to mark World
AIDS Day.
The 98-foot tall statue of Jesus Christ
is considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world. The giant
monument to Brazilian Christianity is located at the peak of the
Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil's second largest city.
World AIDS Day has been observed on
December 1 since 1988.
In the United States, a giant red
ribbon was hung on the North Portico of the White House to mark World
AIDS Day. In
his annual proclamation, President Barack Obama stated that an
“AIDS-free generation is within our reach.”
Construction on Brazil's Christ the
Redeemer began in 1922 and lasted 9 years.
(Related: U2's
Bono on World AIDS Day: The end is near.)