New York welcomes Christmas with towering Rockefeller spruce
Millions of people were eagerly awaiting this moment. On Saturday, the traditional Norwegian spruce arrived at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, officially marking the start of the Christmas season in New York.
According to the "Bild" service, the Albert family from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, donated the tall conifer tree. It is the first tree to be cut down in this particular state since 1959. The spruce was felled last Thursday morning and loaded onto a low-bed trailer for its 140-mile journey to New York.
The dimensions of the New York tree are impressive. It reaches a height of nearly 23 metres and a diameter of 13 metres. This year's spruce weighs 10 metric tonnes. The tree will be adorned with 50,000 colourful LED lights strung along a light string that stretches 8 kilometres. At the top, there is a star weighing 400 kilograms and decorated with 3 million Swarovski crystals.
The tree-lighting ceremony attracts crowds from outside New York City. This year's event is scheduled for 4 December.
The history of the New York tree
As "Bild" recalls, the tradition of setting up the Christmas tree dates back to the Great Depression. In 1931, construction workers involved in building Rockefeller Center set up the first 6-metre tree. It was a Norwegian spruce decorated with garlands of cranberries, paper chains, and even tins.
The tree quickly became a symbol of New York City, becoming one of the city's biggest Christmas attractions. The tallest tree in history was set up at Rockefeller Center in 1999. The spruce measured 30 metres. It came from Killingworth, Connecticut, and was donated by Cathy and Jimmy Thomson.
The head gardener of Channel Gardens carefully selects the tree, travelling in the summer to search for the perfectly symmetrical tree.
