Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree
The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree has been erected in Trafalgar Square , London on the first Tuesday of December every year since 1947 . The Christmas trees from Norway are usually over 25 meters high and are presented in official events in Norway and London as thanks to Norway for supporting Great Britain in World War II .
The spruce trees are decorated with light chains made up of 500 individual lights in the tradition of Norway in white and red, the light chains are arranged vertically and give the tree a special character. The mayors of Oslo and Westminster and the Norwegian ambassador are present to celebrate the installation of these Christmas trees in London , with the mayor of Westminster wearing his magnificent uniform.
Thousands of Londoners gather in Trafalgar Square every year when the fairy lights on the tall spruce shine for the first time. This tradition goes back to 1947, because since then the Norwegian people have been sending a large spruce from the forests around Oslo to London and in this way thanks for the British support during the time of the occupation by the Wehrmacht from 1940 to 1945. The extraordinary large trees are between 50 and 100 years old and in 2008 the tree was 33 meters tall and 90 years old. The spruce that the foresters choose is called the queen of the forest .
The tree is felled in the presence of the mayors of Westminster and Oslo and also the British ambassador to Norway, then shipped to Great Britain, where it is transported on a truck and erected with a crane.
During the student riots in December 2010, protesting students tried to set the 20 meter high and 60 year old tree on fire.
The Christmas tree was erected on December 2nd, 2010, and on the occasion of the celebration, not only were songs sung, but students recited poems by British and Norwegian poets on the subject of peace. Texts of the poems were posted on banners on the guardrail in front of the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree . The Norwegian Ambassador Kim Traavik described the tree as the Symbol of Peace in a declaration in December 2010.
The Christmas tree will remain in Trafalgar Square until January 5, 2010, when members of more than 40 charities will sing traditional Christmas carols to help raise funds for people in need.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Trafalgar Square Christmas tree marks the start of Christmas in Westminster ( Memento of the original from June 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , westminster.gov.uk, December 8, 2008, accessed December 22, 2010
- ↑ a b c Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , gross britain.de, accessed on December 22, 2010
- ^ Hannah Strange: The Trafalgar Christmas tree. Watch our exclusive reports on the tree's journey from Norway to London , timesonline.co.uk, accessed December 22, 2010
- ↑ London student fee demo clear-up to cost '£ 50,000' , bbc.co.uk, December 10, 2010, accessed December 22, 2010
- ^ Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree - Wrapped in Poetry, Peace must be the most unquiet thing in the world ”by Nordahl Grieg at www.petrysiciety.org.uk ( Memento of the original from January 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved December 22, 2010
- ↑ The lights are on! Official website of the Embassy of Norway in Great Britain, December 10, 2010, accessed December 22, 2010
