Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is one of London's most famous tourist attractions, and in December in particular hundreds of thousands of people visit to see the wonderful Christmas tree.

But this is no ordinary tree, it has a long and special tradition which I will tell you about now. It all started back in 1947, when the people of Norway gave a magnificent tree to the people of London as a way to say thank you for the support they had during the Second World War. This tree has become a symbol of the friendship between the two countries and today it is a grand event and Londoners only feel that Christmas has started once the tree arrives.

The mayors of Oslo and London attend the ceremony where choirs sing Christmas carols and the 500 vertical white lights on the tree are officially switched on. The tree stays in the square until just before the twelfth night of Christmas.

The tree itself is usually 20 metres tall and between 50 and 60 years old. In November the mayor of London travels to the forest near Oslo, where he meets the mayor of Oslo and the British ambassador for the official cutting down of the tree. It is usually the best in the forest and is carefully chosen some years in advance. The local people call it 'the queen of the forest'.

The tradition of Christmas trees in Britain isn't a very old one. It started in Germany in the 16th century and only came over to Britain after Queen Victoria 'imported' the tradition from her home country. Yes, Britain's longest reigning monarch was actually German. It was after her marriage to Prince Albert that the custom of decorating a pine tree became more popular, as the British people really enjoyed finding a tree and making the ornaments to hang on it.

Nowadays almost every home, shop and office in Britain has some type of tree at this time, whether it be natural, artificial or even just a picture of one. However, not many are as a big or beautiful as the Queen of the Forest!