As the Christmas holidays come to an end, Lviv will begin dismantling its festive decorations, including the nativity scene, the Christmas tree, and the didukh. Starting Monday, the tree and didukh will be taken down, with the tree repurposed for park maintenance and the didukh stored at the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life until next year.
How Will the Tree Be Repurposed?
The municipal enterprise “Green Lviv” will begin disassembling the tree on Svobody Avenue. Decorations will be removed first, and the tree will then be divided into parts:
- Larger sections will be used as firewood to heat greenhouses.
- Smaller branches will be shredded and used as fertilizer for trees and shrubs in city parks and squares.
What Happens to the Didukh?
The didukh will be transported to Lviv’s skansen (Museum of Folk Architecture and Life), where it will remain stored until the next Christmas season.
The Story of This Year’s Christmas Tree
The main tree of Lviv was lit on December 5, just before St. Nicholas Day. It was donated to the city by the Pidvirnyi family from the village of Birkiv in the Yavoriv District. Standing at 18 meters tall and 20 years old, the tree has a touching history.
In 2004, Mrs. Hanna discovered a broken seedling with roots on the road. Her husband and their two-year-old grandson planted it in their yard. While it initially grew slowly, with proper care and nourishment, the tree flourished and grew rapidly over the next decade.