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Season opener

Tree lighting officially kicks off Christmas in Prague

By Markéta Hulpachová
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
December 5th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Crowds watched in wonder as the 20-meter-high tree on Old Town Square was cast aglow.
VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Event coordinator Taiko estimates that between 12,000 and 15,000 people showed up for the opening ceremonies this year.
VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
If the attendance Dec. 1 is any indicator, visitors to Old Town Square can expect considerably less elbow room this year.
VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
This year's markets feature more refreshments, as per demand.
Early evening Dec. 1, spectators swamped Old Town Square. Amid the snaking crowds near the concessions stands, dialects from around the country mixed with foreign tongues as visitors waited in line, lured by the pungent aroma of sausages, mulled wine and cinnamon twists. When the bells of Old Town Hall struck 5 p.m., all eyes turned to the 20-meter-high Christmas tree whose ceremonial lighting kicks off the 32 days of festivities.
Held annually from the first advent weekend to New Year’s Day, the city’s largest Christmas markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square are organized by Taiko, an event planning company that pays Prague City Hall nearly 2 million Kč ($111,500) for a contract to coordinate the event.
Aside from traditional attractions including holiday choir performances, a petting zoo and the children’s workshop, visitors can expect an increased presence of food vendors, roomier stalls and, if the attendance at the tree-lighting ceremony is any indicator, less elbow room.
This year, approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people came to see the illumination, event coordinators say. “While it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact figure, we estimate that attendance at the opening ceremonies was up 30 percent since last year,” says Taiko spokeswoman Hana Jurášková. The company has organized the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square Christmas markets since 2004, one year after a 25-meter-tall tree toppled on Old Town Square, injuring five people.
When Malcolm Tuffin, a 57-year-old British tourist who was temporarily confined to a wheelchair because of the accident, sued the city for 6 million Kč in damages, city officials voided its contract with Folk Art Production, the company previously responsible for coordinating the festivities.
Since then, Taiko, the new organizer, has taken preventive measures to ensure the tree’s stability. Before being erected, this year’s 80-year-old fir tree from the Krkonoše National Park in north Bohemia was inspected by dendrologists from the Mendel University of Forestry and Agriculture (MZLU) in Brno, south Moravia, who screened it for health, vitality and wood quality through a series of laboratory tests.
“We want to make sure the tree doesn’t fall and injure anyone,” Jurášková says.
As Taiko implemented these precautions, City Hall announced Nov. 27 that the final decision in Tuffin’s compensation case will be left up to the national Supreme Court, city hall spokeswoman Eva Kubátová told the Czech News Agency (ČTK). Earlier this year, Prague City Court found Folk Art Production and City Hall liable for the 2003 accident and ordered them to pay Tuffin 560,000 Kč in damages, but City Hall appealed the ruling.
Legal battles aside, this year’s Christmas markets include several organizational and aesthetic changes. To make the individual vending booths more pleasing to the eye, Taiko paid 10 million Kč for new wooden structures with up to six booths for individual vendors. “The new stalls have the advantage of being more comfortable for customers as well as for the vendors themselves,” Jurášková says.
Additional changes have been made to the assortment of offerings within the stalls.
When selecting this year’s vendors, Taiko focused on 2006 visitor surveys, which indicated guests would “welcome more refreshment options,” according to Jurášková.
To satisfy visitors’ cravings, Taiko added two six-booth and one 10-booth structures dedicated entirely to food on Old Town Square.
While increasing the availability of concessions, Taiko tightened requirements for arts and crafts vendors by forbidding the sale of wooden Russian dolls and army hats. “Before 2004, people criticized the markets for this reason, so it’s strictly regulated,” Jurášková says. “The products are limited to traditional Christmas ware such as candles, ornaments and sweets.”

Markéta Hulpachová can be reached at mhulpachova@praguepost.com


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