Reykjavík Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson felled the Oslo Christmas tree in Heiðmörk this Saturday. This year, the tree is a 12,40 m (40 ft) Sitka spruce, about 60 years old, and will be the city’s official Christmas tree on Austurvöllur square in the city centre.
The city of Oslo has given the people of Reykjavík a Christmas tree for decades. A few years ago, the environmental impact of transporting the tree was considered superfluous and since then, the “Oslo tree” has come from Heiðmörk forest on the outskirts of the city. Instead of the Christmas tree, Oslo sends books to Reykjavík elementary schools.
Christmas comes early in Reykjavík this year.
This year’s tree was likely planted on the Reykjavík Forestry Society’s 10th anniversary, but this year, the Society is nearing its 70th year. The tree will take its usual place at Austurvöllur and be decorated to delight passersby. The lighting ceremony, on the first Sunday of the Advent, Nov, 29, usually a fun family event that marks the start to the official Christmas season, might be different than usual due to the pandemic.
Another Christmas tree was felled in Heiðmörk this Saturday, to be sent to the Faroe Islands and decorated outside Tórshavn Tinghús. Reykjavík sends the tree as a mark of gratitude for the friendship of the Faroese, a fairly recent tradition as the first tree was sent in 2013. This year’s Tórshavn tree is an 11m (36 feet) Sitka spruce and Eimskip will transport the tree to the Faroe Islands.
