City officials in Oslo are really hoping that the Christmas tree they sent to London last week arrives in good shape this year. It’s earlier been criticized for being a bit shabby, but here’s photographic evidence that the carefully selected tree was lush and full when it was chopped down in a local forest on Thursday during a traditional ceremony of good will between Norway and Great Britain.
The Norwegian tree bound for Trafalgar Square is part of Oslo’s annual expression of gratitude for all the help Norway received from Great Britain during World War II. Norway’s government spent the war years in exile in London after the country had been invaded by Nazi Germany, and in uneasy times like now, the value of long-time allies is higher than ever.
So once again a tree was selected, this time from the Grefsen area of the hills and forests that surround the Norwegian capital. Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe hosted the event that began in 1947, while British representatives included The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Robert Rigby, and the British ambassador to Norway, Jan Thompson.
Both British guests symbolically helped out with sawing down the tree, illustrating some cultural differences in apparel for the occasion. The Lord Mayor was in relatively formal dress, including his official regalia, and Lindboe had joked to newspaper Aftenposten beforehand that “it’s always exciting to see what kind of footware the Lord Mayors have when they head out to the forest.”
The British ambassador was clearly more accustomed to Norwegians’ casual dress, especially when duties take one out of downtown. Both, meanwhile, quickly found out that sawing down a tree is hard work. They were cheered on by local school children and other guests.
Then the tree, full of cones at its top that are said to be a sign of good health, was carefully lifted on to a truck to transport it to a harbour south of Oslo for the voyage across the North Sea. That’s when the trees from Norway can risk damage, but efforts are being made to keep the tree as fresh and full as it was on Thursday.
With that, all rumours from last year that Oslo would stop sending a tree, because the British complained so much about it, were dashed. Lindboe had already assured British media that Oslo would continue sending a tree, and the British embassy in Oslo was quick to express its appreciation for the tree. Lindboe even said she was prepared for more criticism, choosing to view it as a sign of true friendship. This year both mayors and the ambassador also planted a new tree to replace the old.
ALL PHOTOS: Sturlason/Oslo Kommune
TEXT: NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund