Christmas Trees Glitter Across Europe

Celebrating Christmas goes beyond countries with Christian roots. From Dubai to New Delhi, Christmas trees are erected in most of the world's major cultural cities. Of course, in most places the emphasis is less on the religious and more on the ceremonial aspect of the holiday.

A christmas tree is lit on the Spanish steps, on December 15, 2023 in Rome. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP) Fotó: Andreas SOLARO / AFP

Christmas, the day of Jesus Christ's earthly birth, is Christianity's second most important holiday after Easter. Magyar Nemzet offers a glimpse at some of the trees installed for the holiday in popular European cities.

 

Berlin

A fully illuminated Christmas tree has been erected in front of the Mall of Berlin on Leipziger Platz.

Photo: John MACDOUGALL / AFP

Amsterdam

Amsterdam's Christmas tree is usually put up in early December, but this year it has been postponed a little later due to the official visit of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The tree has been standing in the heart of the city since mid-December.

Photo: Ramon van Flymen/AFP

Rome

Rome also awaited Christmas Eve with a Christmas tree.

Photo: Andrea Ronchini /AFP

Madrid

Whatever comes into your mind when you think of the Spaniards, one thing you will definitely not say is that they can't celebrate. Christmas in Spain is a two-week festive period, starting on December 24 and ending on January 6 with the Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos celebration. A splendidly illuminated Christmas tree glitters on Madrid's Puerta del Sol, one of the city's best-known and busiest squares.

Photo: David Canales/SOPA Images/Sipa

 

London

Trafalgar Square, the most popular square in the capital of the United Kingdom, is a worthy contender for the list. Since 1947, a Christmas tree is an annual gift from Norwegians to Londoners to say thanks for Britain's support for Norway during World War II.

Photo: Rasid Necati Aslim/AFP

Brussels

The installation doesn't even fit into our list, as what has been erected on the main square in the European Union's capital is not a Christmas tree but a so-called winter tree. A tall, but rather humbly decorated pine tree is standing in the ring of the guild houses and the town hall on Grand Place. Citing Muslims' sensitivities, the municipality decided several years ago to offer tourist alternative installations. One year screens featuring Christmas trees were set up, another year an electric tree with laser show was installed, most recently the choice fell on a nearly bare pine tree.

Photo: Hans Lucas/AFP

Moscow

In Russia, the Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar and celebrates Christmas on January 7, which corresponds to December 25 according to the Gregorian calendar. Nevertheless, a decorated tree is put up on Red Square in December.

Photo: AFP

Istanbul

Perhaps some explanation is needed about the Turks' attitude to Christmas. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, introduced several measures during his reign aimed at restricting Islam. In addition to provisions such as the ban on headscarves, which is a sensitive issue to date, he also pursued other religious and cultural aspirations. As a result, Christmas as a holiday has been adopted in Turkey, with the only difference that it is celebrated on December 31. Despite this, a Christmas tree in front of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Beyoglu, a district in the heart of Istanbul, stands on display all month long.

Photo:  Berk Ozkan /Anadolu /AFP

Lisbon

Portuguese families gather for dinner on the evening of December 24. The festive table is laden with local delicacies such as boiled cod or octopus with potatoes and Portuguese cabbage. For almost twenty years now, Comercio Square has featured the Portuguese capital's most popular Christmas tree.

Photo: Zed Jameson/Anadolu/AFP

Bordeaux

Politics has infected cities other than Brussels. Since World War II, the city of Bordeaux always had right-wing mayors.  Since 2013, the number of immigrants in the city has risen sharply (twenty percent more migrants live here since 2006), and they are allowed to vote in municipal elections without holding a citizenship. All surveys show that the vast majority of them vote for left-wing parties. Bordeaux Mayor Pierre Hurmic, a member of the French Greens ((Europe Ecologie – Les Verts, EELV), took to social media to campaign against the tradition of erecting Christmas trees, saying that they are "cut-down trees" and declaring them to be "dead". He even initiated a "tree rights charter".  The mayor argued that the idea does not at all fit into "our concept of revegetation". He called those protesting his decision "fascist and primitive Catholics, looking back into the past".

Budapest

The country's Christmas tree is erected outside Parlament. When Kossuth Square was renovated, the designers took the annual installation of a fir tree into account and a sunk-in fixture was put in place on the south-western side. This and the strap connections can hold a huge tree securely even in strong winds. This year, the tree was brought to the square from the garden of a family in Hajduszoboszlo, eastern Hungary, with the help of disaster management experts, the defense forces and the police.

Photo: Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI

Cover photo: Illuminated Christmas tree on the Spanish Steps in Rome (Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP)