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During the first wave of the coronavirus, Vilnius residents showed that they are able to focus on the most difficult moments and activate all their creativity. Christmas in the capital will be more joyous, closer to home and will offer a variety of alternatives.
Events and fairs – canceled
Although Vilnius has been preparing for various Christmas scenarios since the summer and other fir-concert formats were being considered, with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, even more serious measures had to be taken to ensure the safety of the population.
Taking into account the latest recommendations from public health experts from around the world and from Lithuania, similar decisions by other foreign Christmas camp organizers, the municipality and the organizers of the “Christmas in the capital” project had to take one of the Hardest decisions in the history of winter holidays: ensuring the safety and health of traditional Vilnius events. and the fairs had to be canceled: the abandonment of the 3D Christmas fairy tale, the Christmas train, the Christmas camps, the International Christmas Charity Fair, the Christmas Design Plaza, all of which brought together thousands of people to control distances, and most events are temporarily banned altogether. .
All this will be replaced by festive walks through the beautifully decorated Vilnius and alternative ideas, in which many artists and active communities have already been involved, and the city will present all this before the Christmas trees are lit in the city.
“Let us remain responsible in this quarantine to greet St. Christmas in the capital, which this year will be even more joyful, more spiritual, more intimate. In the current circumstances, it would be irresponsible to continue tempting events when it is not possible to ensure compliance with distances or other requirements. We must be determined, because people’s health and safety is our top priority, ”says Edita Tamošiūnaitė, Vilnius’ deputy mayor.
More light decorations
Vilnius residents will have a lot of festive decorations throughout the city, not only the old town and the center will shine, where the firs of the cathedral and the town hall, the trees of Lukiškės square, the crowns of Odminiai square, the central part of the Šventaragis valley, the entrances to the Vingis park spaces closer to home: there will be more luminous decorations in the districts, community fir trees will be illuminated, neighborhoods, houses, shop windows will compete with lights, where it will be fun to walk and admire with people closest to you, following all the recommendations and safe distances.
This year, for the first time, the Vilnius City Municipality announced a competition for festive street decoration professionals, in which the votes from the public poll were counted to select the winner, determined by 50 percent. final evaluation. The UAB Adam Decolight company won the decoration competition for three years, and more than 179 thousand will be awarded in the year. euros.
Fir lighting – on TV
Vilnius will announce the start of the winter holiday season on November 28, when the main Lithuanian fir will be illuminated on Cathedral Square. Traditionally, the idea of fir decoration will not be revealed until the solemn moment that everyone will see on the screens, in a cozy and safe environment of their home.
On December 5, the second fir tree in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento will also shine. It will be possible to walk around the city without meeting and safely admire the green curtains until January 7.
“Canceling traditional events is sad news for those who have planned, organized and invested in them for a long time, but we will turn Christmas in the capital into a different form of celebration, we will return with a colorful program of new ideas and suggestions and, More importantly, everything now. It would be the last time for life to come back to life in the city and we could implement many great projects planned and already created next winter, ”promises Paulius Jurgutis, director of the Vilnius Cultural Center, the organizer of the Capital of Christmas.
Vilnius Municipality intends to announce various competitions for businesses and residents, which will invite institutions, businesses, living environments, windows to celebrate and together create a festive atmosphere in the city. This year, the contest organizers promise to award generous prizes for your participation.
This year, the city will allocate a total of about 280,000 for festive city decorations, fir and other alternative holiday ideas. euros.
Christmas shopping is on the rise
Christmas towns will move from Vilnius Cathedral and Town Hall Square or Design Square to electronic space during the winter holidays: Vilnius invites entrepreneurs to register on e. Christmas village so you can post your gifts, souvenirs and services on www.kaledossostineje.lt. Many other interesting alternatives will also be available in the virtual space in December.
“This year is already the year in which we must look for alternatives to the usual activities that make the city happy. In the summer, we upload artwork from open-air galleries to the Homeless Art campaign, and in winter we bring Christmas villages online for safety; Although the excitement will not be the same, it will at least partially offset the restrictions created by the pandemic and allow Vilnius residents to enjoy interesting Christmas gifts. – said the mayor of the city of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius.
E. In Christmas Town, everyone will be able to shop safely and comfortably without leaving home. It will be a great opportunity for a mutually beneficial exchange for everyone, both entrepreneurs who have been preparing for the festive season throughout the year and those who are used to seeking gifts at traditional Christmas fairs.
In a special section of the website www.kaledossostineje.lt e. Christmas Town will provide a list of merchants and links to their websites, where each visitor will have a choice and will be served warmly and safely. The virtual electronic Christmas city will operate from December 1, 2020 until the end of the holiday season on January 7, 2021.
Traditional fairs in the world are canceled
Concerns about COVID-19 are being felt around the world and in Vilnius, the cancellation of mass meetings and fairs are not highlighted here. Many European cities are massively canceling long-planned events: Christmas fairs, carnivals, marches, Christmas tree festivities and various performances.
This year, countries with the oldest traditions of celebrating Christmas have decided, painfully but resolutely, to refrain from breaking with the age-old tradition of organizing Christmas fairs.
It has been officially announced that the UK’s oldest Christmas fair, Lincoln, and the most famous Christmas fairs in the fields of Nuremberg, Strasbourg and the Champs-Elysees in Paris have been canceled for the first time since 1982.
The Frankfurt-style Birmingham Christmas Fair, which has attracted more than 5 million visitors in recent years, was canceled in September. There will be no cozy “Winter Wonderland” New Years party in London’s Hyde Park, etc.
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