Kaunas has once again become the first city in Lithuania to usher in the festive season, announcing the start of its winter celebrations on November 22. Crowds of residents and visitors filled the historic Town Hall Square in the country’s second-largest city for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree.
This year’s tree is once again a real fir, shimmering with gold and decorated with Art Deco-inspired details – a nod to Kaunas’s renowned interwar architecture.
Christmas spirit finally returned to Kaunas Old Town. Last year, due to extensive renovation works on Town Hall Square, the city’s Christmas tree had to be relocated to Unity Square (Vienybės aikštė), a modern public space in the city centre.
The evening was hosted by two well-known Lithuanian television personalities, Eglė Daugėlaitė and Ignas Krupavičius. The programme featured performances by soloist Gabrielė Bukinė, sisters Otilija and Sofija Kiekytė, and the choir Jaunystė (“Youth”).
They were joined on stage by some of the country’s best-known performers, including Mantas Jankavičius – who appeared alongside his son – Liepa Mondeikaitė-Norkevičienė, Adomas Vyšniauskas with his latest release, and Algirdas Kaušpėdas.
The contemporary dance theatre Aura, one of Kaunas’s leading cultural ensembles, helped set the festive tone.
The most eagerly awaited guest arrived from the far north: Santa Claus, who came bearing a sack full of seasonal surprises to delight younger visitors.
The centrepiece of the evening was the spectacular Kaunas Christmas tree. Standing more than 17 metres tall, the fir – donated by a local family – features a distinctive continuous side panel, gold ornaments and thousands of multicoloured lights.
The lighting ceremony marks only the beginning of Kaunas’s wider festive programme. As in previous years, Town Hall Square will host a Christmas market, children’s workshops, meetings with Santa Claus, youth discos and, on Christmas Eve, a programme of special carols.
This winter, the city is also unveiling a seasonal attraction: an open-air ice rink soon to open in Unity Square (Vienybės aikštė).
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