Festive lights are on

Only a few more days separate us until merry December and the first Sunday of Advent is already after us. In many places in Slovenia, they are preparing to turn on the lights.

They were lit in Ljubljana and Maribor on Friday, and will soon be followed elsewhere.

In addition to traditional meteorites and lanterns, about 850 sculptures and a 50-kilometer-long light chain were erected in Ljubljana.

The city is also adorned with ten spruces and 79 »green« trees, which will be returned to nature after the holidays. The largest spruce is on Prešeren Square. It is 15 meters high and weighs 3 tons.

The trees on Wolfova ulica will be decorated with the help of students of nearby schools.

You can also help decorate Ljubljana: namely the woods on Stritarjeva (from Prešeren Square to the Town Hall) and Čopova ulica (from Prešeren Square towards Slovenska cesta). In doing so, the municipality urges you not to buy new ornaments, but to use the ones you already have at home.

Life-size straw cribs will once again stand on the nearby Gallus Embankment. They are only slightly larger than children.

The festive decoration was planned for the third time in a row by the architect Urban Modic. What innovations has he prepared?

The three-sided pyramid on Prešeren Square, trees connected with lights along the Ljubljanica, and decorations from Vodnikov trg to Cukrarna.

On New Year’s Eve, the city will be lit by a five-minute ecological fireworks display. Last year, however, the fireworks were called off due to the epidemic.

Due to the uncertain situation in Maribor, the lighting of the lights will be recorded and broadcast online. At the same time, they will open the Fairy Town, where there will be creative workshops and performances for children on weekends.

In Koper, where the lights were turned on Saturday, they are also preparing many activities for children: St. Nicholas and the Christmas Fair and theatre performances. They also set up an ice rink.

Points To Consider

1. How do you decorate your home?
2. What can’t you imagine the holidays without?
3. What are the downsides of holiday decorating?

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The original version of this article was published on November 25th.

English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.