Norwegian spruce heralds Christmas at Rockefeller Plaza
Millions of people have been eagerly awaiting this moment. On Saturday, the traditional Norwegian spruce arrived at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, officially signaling the start of the Christmas season in New York.
According to the "Bild" service, the Albert family from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts donated the tall coniferous tree. It is the first tree since 1959 to have been cut down in this particular state. The spruce was cut down last Thursday morning and then loaded onto a low-bed trailer, embarking on a 225-kilometre journey to New York.
The dimensions of the New York tree are impressive. Its height reaches almost 23 metres, and the diameter is 13 metres. This year's spruce weighs 10,000 kilograms. The tree will be adorned with 50,000 colourful LED lights, which are on an 8-kilometre light string. At the top, there is a 408-kilogram star, decorated with 3 million Swarovski crystals.
The tree-lighting ceremony attracts crowds from all over New York City. This year's event is scheduled for December 4th.
The history of the New York tree
As "Bild" recalls, the tradition of setting up the Christmas tree dates back to the Great Depression. In 1931, construction workers involved in the building of Rockefeller Center set up the first 6-metre tree. It was a Norwegian spruce decorated with garlands of cranberries, paper chains, and even cans.
The tree quickly became one of New York City's symbols, becoming one of the city's biggest Christmas attractions. In 1999, Rockefeller Center set up the tallest tree in history, a 30-metre spruce donated by Cathy and Jimmy Thomson from Killingworth, Connecticut.
The head gardener of Channel Gardens carefully selects the tree, traveling in the summer to search for the perfectly symmetrical tree.
