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SIMPLY ENLIGHTENING: A few white bulbs and lots of singing are plenty enough to bring a glow to Longyearbyen residents during the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony

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A spartan strand of plain white lights illuminated a few boughs on what in the 24-hour dark of polar night might pass for a tall bit of shrubbery…and there was much rejoicing. A few moments later a second strand of lights brought a glow revealing the fuller outlines of an evergreen…and there was much rejoicing. Shortly after the third and final set of plain white lights let the townfolk of Longyearbyen know this was as turned on as this year’s official Christmas tree was going to get.

And there was much rejoicing.

“It’s so simple to find satisfaction here,” a woman remarked to a companion, both of whom were wearing reflective vests for the new Svalbard Folk High School that welcomed its first students a few months ago.

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Longyearbyen youths put their letters to Santa in a special mailbox at the base of his workshop in Mine 2B on Sunday. Photo by Mark Sabbatini / Icepeople.

The annual lighting ceremony, featuring scores of residents doing the traditional circular dance around the tree in the town square, was the climatic moment of the first Sunday of Advent celebration that is one of the first highlights during a month of Christmas/holiday festivities in Svalbard that last until the Russian Orthodox Christmas in Barentsburg on Jan. 7.

Those gathered also were greeted by music from the Store Norske Men’s Choir (braving the outdoors) and subset of the Longyearbyen Big Band (inside the entrance of Lompensenteret where their instruments protected from the elements were wired to outdoor speakers), as well as an early visit from Santa (actually, people who were totally sober swear they saw a few) who handed out small bags of candy to children.

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The Store Norske Men’s Choir performs outside Lompensenteret shortly before the town’s Christmas tree is lit Sunday. Photo by Mark Sabbatini / Icepeople.

The day’s traditional events began with a Mass at Svalbard Church, followed by a midday holiday meal at Huset and a torchlight procession from there to the center of town. Along the way they stopped at the traditional Santa’s mailbox at the base of Mine 2B so kids could deposit their letters to the jolly old elf residing in his “secret headquarters” in the now-closed coal quarry.

Holiday season activities continue with an annual concert of visiting musicians hosted by Telenor at 8 p.m. Thursday at Kulturhuset (currently sold out), a Christmas market beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Longyearbyen Arts and Crafts Center in Nybyen, a Christmas Mile race for youths at noon Saturday outside Svalbardbutikken, cookie baking for youths at Rabalder Cafe and Bakery this Sunday and next at noon, the holiday movie “Love Actually” at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Longyearbyen Library, a lutefisk feast at Stationen at 8 p.m. Dec. 13, a Christmas concert by various local artists at 5 p.m. Dec. 15 at Svalbard Church, and an “Ugly Christmas Sweater Party” at 9 p.m. Dec. 21 at Barentz Gastropub.

 

About Post Author

Mark Sabbatini

I'm a professional transient living on a tiny Norwegian island next door to the North Pole, where once a week (or thereabouts) I pollute our extreme and pristine environment with paper fishwrappers decorated with seemingly random letters that would cause a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters to die of humiliation. Such is the wisdom one acquires after more than 25 years in the world's second-least-respected occupation, much of it roaming the seven continents in search of jazz, unrecognizable street food and escorts I f****d with by insisting they give me the platonic tours of their cities promised in their ads. But it turns out this tiny group of islands known as Svalbard is my True Love and, generous contributions from you willing, I'll keep littering until they dig my body out when my climate-change-deformed apartment collapses or they exile my penniless ass because I'm not even worthy of washing your dirty dishes.
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