O Canada: Nova Scotia Is Throwing a Parade for Our Christmas Tree
A 55-year-old tree from Purlbrook, Nova Scotia, is getting excited for its journey south — to Boston.
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A 13-meter white spruce (that’s 42 ½ feet, to Americans), cut Monday by students from the Nova Scotia Community College Strait Area Campus and donated by a family from northern Nova Scotia, will grace Boston Common this year. The Canadian province will hold an elaborate sendoff for the tree — which is scheduled to arrive on Nov. 21 — before Boston’s own annual tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 4, CBC reports.
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The sendoff for each year’s “Tree for Boston’’ has turned into quite the local spectacle for Nova Scotians: the felled spruce will make a pitstop in the northwestern city of Amherst before its grand parade on Tuesday in Halifax.
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2014’s tree is actually the 43rd sent from Nova Scotia to Boston — the province sent its first tree in 1918 as a thank you to Boston after it was the first across-the-border city to send rescue staff and supplies in the aftermath of a devastating explosion in Nova Scotia’s harbor. The tradition was revived in 1971, and since then Nova Scotia hasn’t missed a year.
The tree was bubbling over with anticipation before its big day:
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In preparation, the tree tried out a few puns:
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It teared up at the sight of little Canadian kiddos who lined up to see it get chopped down:
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Even Santa came to the tree-cutting today:
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[fragment number=8]At least one Boston resident is returning the love:
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