Christmas tree heralds season

Don't miss the tree lighting at Old Town Square

By Nicol Schusterová
Staff Writer

She's an Amazon of sorts, an 80-year-old beauty, measuring 32 meters. She's the city's Christmas tree, hoisted into place at Staromestské námestí earlier this month, now waiting for a chance to shine.

Pavel Bém, Prague lord mayor, will flip the switch at 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 30, lighting the spruce tree's 160,000 candles, and also smaller Christmas decorations on Parížská Street and the lower part of Václavské námestí.

Following the lighting, there will be a concert by Czech musicians, including Ilona Czáková, Marie Rottrová and Petr Muk. Then at 9 p.m. the Kuhn Children's Choir will perform Christmas carols. Fireworks will top off the festivities.

The tree ceremony is bigger than usual in more ways than one. The spruce will sport 30,000 more candles than last year, according to Milan Šmerda, representative of the Folk Art Group, the organization in charge of Czech Christmas in the center of Prague.. Even getting the tree ready for transport to Prague was more work than usual, he said. The job usually takes four or five hours, but this year it took nine, thanks to the unusually rough terrain in Velké Karlovice where the tree was situated, said Šmerda

The tree will stay on Staromestské námestí till January 6, 2004.


-- Nicol Schusterová can be reached at at nicci@email.cz.

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