A 20-year-old Christmas tree will be set up in Lviv, adorned with an anti-tank hedgehog for the festive season.

In Lviv, preparations are underway for the opening of the main Christmas tree for 2024. The tree, located in the square near the Opera House, will be lit on Thursday, December 5th. This year, the tree was donated to the city by the family of Yaroslav and Anna Podvornykh from the village of Birky in the Yavoriv district. This was reported by the Lviv City Council.

The tree reaches a height of 16 meters and is approximately 20 years old. Anna shared that she found a broken seedling on the road. Although the tree looked weak, with remnants of roots, her husband and grandson decided to plant it in their yard. Initially, the tree grew slowly, but with diligent care, it flourished. Due to its size, the tree began to take up too much space in their yard, so the family decided to transfer it to Lviv for the Christmas holidays.

On December 4th, Lviv utility workers will cut down the tree and transport it to the city. The tree will then be adorned with lights. This year's main feature will be its symbolic top — an anti-tank "hedgehog," which was crafted two years ago by the employees of LKP "Lviv Electric Transport."

According to the head of the Lviv Culture Department, Oleksiy Taraban, the tree lighting ceremony will be intimate. The tree will be lit at 6:00 PM accompanied by carols from the municipal choir "Homon." The decoration will utilize energy-efficient lighting that the city purchased back in 2018. Taraban also noted that the decoration and maintenance of the tree are being carried out without additional expenses from the city budget.

As a reminder, in Kyiv, the installation of the tree will begin on December 2nd. The ceremonial opening is scheduled for December 6th. The city mayor, Vitali Klitschko, announced that the holidays in the capital will take place without mass events, fairs, and entertainment.

Starting December 5th, official Christmas markets will open in the capital. Residents of Kyiv will be able to purchase New Year trees grown on special plantations.