1st advent candle to be lit on Tallinn's Christmas tree this Sunday

TALLINN – Tallinn Mayor Mihhail Kolvart and Dean Jaak Aus will light the first advent candle on the Christmas tree at the Town Hall Square at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3.

The traditional candle lighting ceremony will be accompanied by Christmas songs performed by a united choir from the congregations of the Tallinn Deanery. Participants include the concert choir and chamber choir Canorus of the EELK Tallinn Kaarli Church, the mixed choir and chamber choir Aktiva of Jaani Church, the chamber choir of the Holy Spirit Church, the mixed choir Laudate Dominum of St. Mary's Cathedral, the chamber choir of Peeteli Church, the Mission Choir, and the Tallinn Chamber Choir, spokespeople for the city government said.

This year, Tallinn's most important square is adorned with a lush 14-meter-high spruce tree, which was brought from Nabala village in Kiili rural municipality and put up on the Town Hall Square on Nov. 23. 

Tallinn's Christmas market will open at 6 p.m. on Dec. 1 and remain accessible until Jan. 7. The opening remarks will be made by Monika Haukanomm, the district elder of Tallinn's city center, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree. The opening ceremony will conclude with music, featuring Estonian singers Ott Lepland and Tanja Mihhailova-Saar, along with the Valge Gospel Choir. In line with environmentally sustainable practices, this year's Christmas market will utilize reusable dishes with a deposit of two euros. The deposit is refunded upon returning the dishes to the collection point.

As part of the European Green Capital project, from Dec. 1 to 3, light shows will be presented in five locations in the Old Town -- "Imagine" at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Commandant's Garden, "Raba" at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Harju Hill; "Mets" at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Hirvepark; "Blossom" at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in Toompark; and "Maakene" at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the Towers' Square.