Christmas in Lviv begins with the installation of the main Christmas tree in the city’s central square. Traditionally, the city does not buy the tree, it is donated by people who care.
This was reported by the press service of the Lviv City Council.
This year’s Christmas tree was presented to Lviv by the family of Yaroslav and Anna Pidvirnykh from the village of Birky, Yavoriv district, who wanted their tree to bring joy to Lviv residents and guests.
The 18-metre fir tree is 20 years old. In 2004, Ms Hanna accidentally found a broken sapling with a root on the road, so Mr Yaroslav and his 2-year-old grandson decided to plant it in their yard. In the first years, the tree was very small and grew poorly, but the man took good care of it, fed it, and for the next 10 years it grew up “like dough on yeast”.
“At first, my grandson and I used to decorate our tree every New Year’s Eve, and it created a Christmas atmosphere for us. And then it became so tall that it was no longer possible to climb it. Now it poses a danger in the yard: its coarse roots have raised the pavement, the gate does not close, it does not grow anything in the garden nearby, and most importantly, there are electric wires between the branches of the tree, which is very dangerous, especially when there is a strong wind.
Two years ago, we offered Lviv our Christmas tree, but it was never our turn, and this year it was taken to the city centre. I am very happy about this, because if I had just cut it down, it would have been just firewood, but this way it will delight children and adults. I really want it to bring a little joy to our military, to lift their spirits and mood,” said Yaroslav Pidvirnyi.
“The Give a Tree to the City campaign has been very popular lately. This year, we were offered about 15 different trees, so we chose the best one long and hard. It’s a good initiative, because a very large tree is a danger in the yard, but we cut it carefully and it brings joy and celebration to the townspeople. It is important that the city does not spend any money not only on the tree, but also on its installation or decoration: employees of the Green Lviv Municipal Company cut, transport and install the tree using their own facilities, and specialists of the Lvivsvitlo Municipal Company decorate it with illumination, which was purchased in 2018. The illumination during the holidays is quite economical and will not work in the event of a power outage,” said Oleksiy Taraban, Head of the Lviv City Department of Culture.
Traditionally, the Christmas tree will be lit on the eve of St Nicholas Day, 5 December, at 18:00, accompanied by carols.
The full programme of events for the Christmas period in Lviv is available here.