“It was a technical test. And now we have agreed that there is no reason to extinguish the tree again, it is beautiful and we will leave it on, ”said Vít Hofman, a spokesman for the municipality.
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Hundreds of people came to see the rehearsal, as did Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) and Councilor Jan Chabr. A video was created from the lighting, which the municipality should publish on the Internet.
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The traditional lighting of the tree, during which the square was filled with thousands of spectators in the past, will not take place this year due to the coronavirus epidemic, Prague planned to light the tree at night. “It will be online and we will not specify the time when it will take place, it will probably be sometime at night,” said councilor Jan Chabr before lighting.
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In the end, the tree will stay on from Friday.
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Lighted Christmas tree on the Old Town Square
Photo: Kateřina Šulová, ČTK
The 17.5 meter high Christmas spruce comes from Kamenný Přívoz. Until Friday, the tree was decorated.
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According to the company Technologie, the capital city of Prague, which was in charge of the installation this year, the decoration consists of six kilometers of Christmas chains, 40 stars and 300 Christmas balls. The tip at the top is three meters high.
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This year, people decided on the form of lighting when voting on social networks. It is lit in the national colors of the tricolor. “In this difficult period, the tricolor is supposed to symbolically represent the company’s call for unification and at the same time commemorate this year’s 100th anniversary of the creation of official state symbols, including the national flag,” said Chabr (for TOP 09).
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Compared to previous years, the tree will have no animation at regular times. The illumination thus returned to the more traditional form of Czech Christmas, when the tree shone statically.
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There probably won’t be markets
This year, the center of the metropolis will most likely have to do without the Christmas markets on Old Town and Wenceslas Square and Republic Square. Councilor Chabr previously said that markets and other programs are unlikely to be in the center.
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However, according to him, the final decision will depend on the government’s recommendations for the Christmas holidays, which the city is still waiting for. “We will see what the government gives us and we will arrange ourselves accordingly,” Chabr said. He added that smaller markets in urban areas are likely to be limited in any case.
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