As the most beautiful harbinger of the Yuletide season, the Christmas tree is more than just a mere festive ornament and one that has come to be recognised as the de facto symbol of all things Christmas. We bring you a few iconic interpretations of the Christmas tree from around the world, each with its own story to tell…
By Raul Dias
The Galeries Lafayette Christmas Tree, Paris
It is safe to say that come early December one of the main reasons people visit Paris’s hallowed Galeries Lafayette department store—that sits pretty along the city’s chic Boulevard Haussmann—is not only for the rather expensive Christmas gifts one can pick up there. It is to get an eyeful of the legendary themed Christmas tree that rises 43 metres up the store’s Art Nouveau wrought iron and glass dome. One of the most memorable themes of this annual tree hosting tradition is the ‘Frozen’ one of 2016. That year, artist Lorenzo Papace came up with a tree that was made entirely of recycled paper with a tableau representation of bears and cubs that showed them abandoning their crib on the North Pole in search of a new ice pack that has not melted yet. But it was the 2017 tree last year themed ‘Spectacular, Spectacular’ that literally took the cake. What with it being created entirely from giant candy pieces and other edible goodies!
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, New York City
Images of people bundled up in woollies, ice skating under a giant Christmas tree, sipping hot chocolate and eating roasted chestnuts (though not all at the same time!) are montages that come to mind when one thinks of this iconic tree that has featured in countless movies over the years. Usually a Norway spruce tree ranging from 21 to 30 meters in height, this one has been a national tradition in the US for almost a century. Interestingly, the tree is older than the building it is housed in! It was way back in 1931, when a group of demolition workers working during the holidays put up their own Christmas tree on the construction site of the Rockefeller Center with a 20-foot tall balsam fir that saw tradition take shape. And ever since then, both locals and tourists alike have been staring up in gob-smacked wonder at one of the most beautiful Christmas trees of all time.
The Pope’s Christmas Tree, Vatican City
At advent every year a majestic spruce or fir Christmas tree is the chosen one to grace the very heart of St. Peter’s Square with themes that reflect important social messages ranging from migration to the refugee issue. Interestingly, this Christmas tree hosting tradition is a rather recent one. It was only in 1982 during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II that the tree as well as the life-size Nativity Scene was started. There is also one other tradition that is followed religiously (do pardon the pun!). Ever since the first tree in 1982 came from Italy, every year the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a different European country or region. Ironically the tree last year in 2017 was a 21-meter spruce tree donated by Masuria, Poland in honour of the Polish-born late Pope John Paul II. Considered one of the most beautiful Pope’s Christmas Tree ever, the 2016 one was illuminated by 18,000 LED lights and decorated with the ceramic ornaments, made by children in hospitals across Italy who were receiving treatment for cancer and other illnesses.
The Palace Square Christmas Tree, St. Petersburg
As one of the world’s most beautiful cities, stunning St Petersburg ups the ante with the wondrous spectacle that the Palace Square Christmas Tree affords all who visit it. Set against the backdrop of the baroque Winter Palace, the former official residence of Russian monarchs on the banks of the Neva River, this Christmas tree comprises green boughs attached to a wire frame. Decorated with traditional Russian Christmas ornaments including large replica Fabergé eggs, floral wreaths and other baubles, it truly mirrors the former imperial Russian grandeur at its finest. So magical and historical is this one that one can almost expect an Anna Karenina-esque character to come whirling by in a haze of powdery snow, riding a troika of silver white horses!
The Floating Christmas Tree, Rio de Janeiro
Though loathe to pick a favourite from a list such as this, we simply have got to give the crown to Rio’s Floating Christmas Tree, which interestingly is the newest of the lot having been started a little over two decades ago in 1996. Floating on a barge in the city’s Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, this stunning, 279-foot high mammoth tree is bedecked with 3.3 million micro light bulbs, each reflecting brilliantly in the waters of the South American lagoon. In order to view it from close quarters families hire out small boats shaped like geese for a spin on the lagoon. As the world’s largest floating Christmas tree, as certified by The Guinness World Records, this one is a big draw in Brazil with the lighting ceremony nationally televised and packed with celebrities. It is so big that it ranks only behind New Year’s Eve and Carnival on the city’s list of most-watched events.
The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, London
Besides all its myriad year-round attractions, come winter and London plays host to one of the world’s most celebrated Christmas trees. Standing mighty next to the statue of the rather diminutive Lord Nelson in Trafalgar Square, the 20-meter tall spruce tree has been an annual gift from the Norwegian capital city of Oslo since 1947. All this as a gesture of the Norwegian people’s gratitude for Britain’s support during World War II. And as with most icons, the tree comes with its own set of traditions. Chief among them being the tree lighting ceremony that takes place on the first Thursday in December and is attended by thousands of people. Led by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, the ceremony includes a blessing of the crib ceremony, which features a torchlit procession and music from St Martin-in-the-Fields church followed by the switching on of the Christmas lights. And the rest? Pure, undiluted wonder!
By Raul Dias
The Galeries Lafayette Christmas Tree, Paris
It is safe to say that come early December one of the main reasons people visit Paris’s hallowed Galeries Lafayette department store—that sits pretty along the city’s chic Boulevard Haussmann—is not only for the rather expensive Christmas gifts one can pick up there. It is to get an eyeful of the legendary themed Christmas tree that rises 43 metres up the store’s Art Nouveau wrought iron and glass dome. One of the most memorable themes of this annual tree hosting tradition is the ‘Frozen’ one of 2016. That year, artist Lorenzo Papace came up with a tree that was made entirely of recycled paper with a tableau representation of bears and cubs that showed them abandoning their crib on the North Pole in search of a new ice pack that has not melted yet. But it was the 2017 tree last year themed ‘Spectacular, Spectacular’ that literally took the cake. What with it being created entirely from giant candy pieces and other edible goodies!
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, New York City
Images of people bundled up in woollies, ice skating under a giant Christmas tree, sipping hot chocolate and eating roasted chestnuts (though not all at the same time!) are montages that come to mind when one thinks of this iconic tree that has featured in countless movies over the years. Usually a Norway spruce tree ranging from 21 to 30 meters in height, this one has been a national tradition in the US for almost a century. Interestingly, the tree is older than the building it is housed in! It was way back in 1931, when a group of demolition workers working during the holidays put up their own Christmas tree on the construction site of the Rockefeller Center with a 20-foot tall balsam fir that saw tradition take shape. And ever since then, both locals and tourists alike have been staring up in gob-smacked wonder at one of the most beautiful Christmas trees of all time.
The Pope’s Christmas Tree, Vatican City
At advent every year a majestic spruce or fir Christmas tree is the chosen one to grace the very heart of St. Peter’s Square with themes that reflect important social messages ranging from migration to the refugee issue. Interestingly, this Christmas tree hosting tradition is a rather recent one. It was only in 1982 during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II that the tree as well as the life-size Nativity Scene was started. There is also one other tradition that is followed religiously (do pardon the pun!). Ever since the first tree in 1982 came from Italy, every year the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a different European country or region. Ironically the tree last year in 2017 was a 21-meter spruce tree donated by Masuria, Poland in honour of the Polish-born late Pope John Paul II. Considered one of the most beautiful Pope’s Christmas Tree ever, the 2016 one was illuminated by 18,000 LED lights and decorated with the ceramic ornaments, made by children in hospitals across Italy who were receiving treatment for cancer and other illnesses.
The Palace Square Christmas Tree, St. Petersburg
As one of the world’s most beautiful cities, stunning St Petersburg ups the ante with the wondrous spectacle that the Palace Square Christmas Tree affords all who visit it. Set against the backdrop of the baroque Winter Palace, the former official residence of Russian monarchs on the banks of the Neva River, this Christmas tree comprises green boughs attached to a wire frame. Decorated with traditional Russian Christmas ornaments including large replica Fabergé eggs, floral wreaths and other baubles, it truly mirrors the former imperial Russian grandeur at its finest. So magical and historical is this one that one can almost expect an Anna Karenina-esque character to come whirling by in a haze of powdery snow, riding a troika of silver white horses!
The Floating Christmas Tree, Rio de Janeiro
Though loathe to pick a favourite from a list such as this, we simply have got to give the crown to Rio’s Floating Christmas Tree, which interestingly is the newest of the lot having been started a little over two decades ago in 1996. Floating on a barge in the city’s Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, this stunning, 279-foot high mammoth tree is bedecked with 3.3 million micro light bulbs, each reflecting brilliantly in the waters of the South American lagoon. In order to view it from close quarters families hire out small boats shaped like geese for a spin on the lagoon. As the world’s largest floating Christmas tree, as certified by The Guinness World Records, this one is a big draw in Brazil with the lighting ceremony nationally televised and packed with celebrities. It is so big that it ranks only behind New Year’s Eve and Carnival on the city’s list of most-watched events.
The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, London
Besides all its myriad year-round attractions, come winter and London plays host to one of the world’s most celebrated Christmas trees. Standing mighty next to the statue of the rather diminutive Lord Nelson in Trafalgar Square, the 20-meter tall spruce tree has been an annual gift from the Norwegian capital city of Oslo since 1947. All this as a gesture of the Norwegian people’s gratitude for Britain’s support during World War II. And as with most icons, the tree comes with its own set of traditions. Chief among them being the tree lighting ceremony that takes place on the first Thursday in December and is attended by thousands of people. Led by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, the ceremony includes a blessing of the crib ceremony, which features a torchlit procession and music from St Martin-in-the-Fields church followed by the switching on of the Christmas lights. And the rest? Pure, undiluted wonder!
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the October-November- December 2018 issue of HDFC Imperia magazine)
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