12 Little-Known Facts About America's Most Famous Christmas Tree
'16.11.2019'
Source: foxnews.com
How long does it take to find the main Christmas tree in New York, why in former times the spruce was silver, why it should be “photogenic” and “sociable”, as well as the publication writes about the fate of the tree after the holidays Fox News.
The main Christmas tree of New York, which is annually installed at the Rockefeller Center, will delight citizens with its beauty from December 4, when lights are lit on it, and until the end of the holiday season, January 14.
This year, the spruce tree overtook last year's in terms of its parameters: it is two meters higher (the height of the tree is 24 meters) and two tons heavier (weight is more than 14 tons), and the 50 tree is decorated with thousands of lights.
A conifer was brought to New York from a Florida village in Orange County. The story of spruce is very moving.
“When you grow up, you will become a beautiful tree”
The tree that 9 installed on November the very heart of the Big Apple was raised by Carol Schulz. A woman bought a seedling in 1959, planted it in her yard after the Christmas season and watched the tree grow gradually, the Associated Press reports.
According to Schultz, she always said before: “Someday you will be at Rockefeller Center. When you grow up, you will become a beautiful tree. ” And now she says: "When the lights come on the tree, I will probably pay."
On the subject: Rockefeller Center set up New York's main Christmas tree
In 2010, Schultz and her companion, Richard O'Donnell, added spruce to the list of trees that were selected for the Rockefeller Center. At the beginning of this year, they learned that their fir won the selection.
They cut down the spruce tree on November 7, loaded it onto a trailer with a crane and sent it to Manhattan.
On the eve of the holiday, we suggest you familiarize yourself with 12 little-known facts about America's most famous Christmas tree.
- Finding the right tree takes a whole year
Rockefeller Center chief gardener Eric Pause said that he is constantly looking for trees that can be included in the list. From it then they choose a spruce, which will decorate the center of New York on New Year's holidays.
According to him, the trees proposed by people may seem quite good at first glance. But upon close examination, details are revealed, due to which a particular tree does not fit.
And although the search for the right spruce is a serious matter, Pause trusts his instincts.
“Sometimes I visit a tree several times during the year to see how it grows. But when I see the ideal, I understand: this is it, ”said the NYC Go gardener.
- As a rule, choose ordinary spruce
If you want your spruce to be installed in the Rockefeller Center, it must meet many requirements: have a beautiful shape, be about 23 meters high, and its crown should be lush enough so that you "can not see the sky through it," Pause said in an interview with NYC Go.
He added that most often a tree is chosen within three states. Although it happened that it traveled long distances to Manhattan. So, in 1966, the center of New York was decorated with a tree from Canada, and in 1998, a fir from Ohio, AM NY reports.
- Rockefeller Center tree is a donation
Surprisingly, the Rockefeller Center does not pay a penny - the trees are traditionally given by their owners. However, according to AM NY, the Rockefeller Center pays for their transportation to New York.
By the way, spruce is often brought at night, when there are fewer people on the streets.
- This tradition has a sentimental beginning
The tradition of installing a Christmas tree on the square near the Rockefeller Center has a sentimental beginning.
It was conceived in the 1931 year, at the height of the Great Depression, by the builders who built the Rockefeller Center. They were so grateful for the work they received that they decorated the fir tree growing in the square with threads, paper garlands and tin cans.
On December 24, they lined up under a tree and received a kind of Christmas gifts - their salaries, a source writes.
Two years later, in 1933, the first official holiday tree of the Rockefeller Center was met by an array of New Yorkers.
- Once a tree was silver
In 1949, the Christmas tree near Rockefeller Center was not traditional green, but silver - to simulate snow, writes AM NY.
- A star weighing more than 400 kg is made of Swarovski crystals
According to the New York Post, a shining star weighing 408 kg, sparkling with three million Swarovski crystals, made its debut on top of the famous spruce tree in 2018.
The giant trinket was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. It has 70 glass spikes; its brightness is 106 thousand lumens.
Libeskind is known for collaborating with museums around the world, as well as for his vision of a redesign of the World Trade Center.
- Spruce should be "photogenic"
Certainly, America’s most popular Christmas tree should look beautiful on photographs taken from any angle, and also look great on TV screens.
“It should look good from any point, because it is visible from everywhere - both from Fifth Avenue, and those who stand on the corner of Radio City Music Hall, or to passengers leaving the subway,” said Pause.
- The tree requires "sociability"
A lot of tourists are in a hurry to see the Christmas tree near the Rockefeller Center, so it should be ready to meet people, the source writes.
It is expected that during the current holiday season, about 800 thousand people will visit the spruce.
- Some daredevils express a desire to climb a spruce
Many tried to climb the most popular Christmas tree in the USA, but to no avail. Although the 27-year-old man in the 1979 year still reached its peak. Thus, he wanted to draw public attention to the problem with the Americans detained at the US Embassy in Iran. The main goal he pursued was to free these people, reports Mental Floss.
However, law enforcement officers tactfully dissuaded him from jumping, explaining that this trick would not help free the captives.
- The evergreen tree has become even greener
According to Mental Floss, since 2007, the tree has become greener, and numerous lights on it are lit from solar panels.
- Those who donate the tree become VIPs
After the tree was cut down, the families who donated it to the Rockefeller Center receive an invitation to visit this place and spend the whole day in it.
- The history of the main Christmas tree in New York continues
When the holidays end, the tree is not thrown into the landfill, but donated to the organization "Habitat in the interests of mankind." Then it is turned into lumber, from which create objects for the house.
“We take the tree apart, take it out of the square, and deliver it to New Jersey,” Pause said. - Then we grind, make material from it that can be used, and dry it in the oven. Of course, a whole house cannot be built from this, but you can get a couple of window or door frames. ”
