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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 joyful, 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 Lithuanian and world public health experts, similar decisions from other foreign Christmas camp organizers, the municipality and the organizers of the Christmas Capital project had to make one of the most difficult decisions in the history of the holidays. winter: ensuring the safety and health of traditional Vilnius events. and the fairs had to be canceled: abandonment of the 3D Christmas fairy tale, the Christmas train, the Christmas campuses, the International Christmas Charity Fair, the Christmas design plaza, all of which brought together thousands of crowds of people to control distances, and most events are completely banned. .
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 fir tree is 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 fir trees 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: the districts will have more light decorations, community fir trees will be illuminated, the blocks will compete with lights, houses, shop windows, where it will be fun to walk and admire with the people nearest, following all the recommendations and safe distances.
This year, for the first time, the Vilnius City Municipality had announced a competition for festive street decoration professionals, in which the votes from the public poll to select the winner, determined by 50 percent, were counted. 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 beginning of the winter holiday season on November 28, when the main Lithuanian fir will be illuminated in 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 been planning, organizing and investing 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, most importantly , now we must be the last 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 the Christmas.
Vilnius Municipality intends to announce various competitions for businesses and residents, which will invite institutions, businesses, living environments, windows to celebrate and create a festive atmosphere together 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
The Christmas Villages of Vilnius Cathedral and the Town Hall Square or Design Square will move into the electronic space during the winter holidays: Vilnius invites entrepreneurs to register on e. Christmas village for you to 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 outdoor 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 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 in a warm and safe manner. The virtual electronic Christmas city will run 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, the countries with the oldest traditions of celebrating Christmas have painfully but resolutely decided to refrain from breaking with the long-standing tradition of organizing Christmas fairs.
It has been officially announced that the UK’s oldest Christmas fair, Lincoln, and the world’s most famous Christmas fairs in 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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