Russian regions getting ready to celebrate New Year

Russian regions are getting ready to celebrate New Year.

TYUMEN. The main New Year's tree of the Tyumen region (Urals federal district) has opened in the square devoted to Tyumen's 400th anniversary. For the first time in its history the city is going to celebrate New Year in the shade of an artificial tree. The 22-meter-high tree was made of plastics and iron in Ireland. In the opinion of the regional administration's culture committee head, Yevgeny Neginsky, Tyumen is getting closer to the Euro-American tradition of saving live firs.

Several tons of special load were put as a foundation for Tyumen's main fir-tree, so that it does not fall down when a heavy wind is blowing. An ice town has spread around it. Builders from Yekaterinburg used ice from the Tyumen region lakes.

ST PETERSBURG. The first New Year tree of St Petersburg will be the one in Peterhof, or Petrodvorets (St Petersburg suburb). An All-Russian Father Frost will light it.

The St Pete's Petrodvorets district administration reported that on Sunday, December 29, the All-Russian Father Frost will arrive in the city on the Neva river to congratulate its dwellers on the coming New Year. He will take part in the New Year celebrations - the festivity that will open the federal program of celebrations devoted to the city's 300th anniversary.

The fairy-tale character will come to Samsonyevskaya Square (main city square), situated in front of the entrance to the Verkhny Park of the winter-frozen Russian Versailles in a sleigh led by a troika of horses.

It is from here, the most well-known suburb of St Petersburg, that the triumphant parade of Father Frost along the city on the Neva will start. In Peterhof Father Frost will light the 15-meter-high fir-tree felled in the Gostilitsky forestry.

Decorations for the forest beauty were prepared by the dwellers of Peterhof beforehand: schools have been holding classes at which pupils made New Year's decorations, the best of which - picturesque "flashlights", boxes, candies, animals - were put on the fir along with sparkling garlands.

On the threshold of the New Year, 2,000 pink lilies began to blossom simultaneously in Volzhsky - a satellite town of Volgograd.

RIA Novosti was informed in the Zelenoye Khozyaistvo greenery that "the lilies in blossom are a present to the town dwellers for the New Year celebrations." The outgoing year saw pink "Acapulco" flowers break into blossom in January, that is, after the celebrations. Now they can already be a decoration of any festive table.

The greenery staffers have already sold 200 lilies by now. They say the delicate pink flowers 20-25 cm in diameter are in great demand by the town inhabitants.

VELIKY NOVGOROD (Central Russia). The Novgorod power industry workers have had to pose as Father Frost, which was unusual for them. Novgorodenergo staffers have become participants of a regional charity action "A Letter to Father Frost".

As part of this action, every child who wrote a message to the character of Russian fairy-tales will get a specific present.

Novgorodenergo workers have prepared presents for children from orphanages and boarding schools.

On Monday a special train of Novgorodenergo will deliver the New Year presents to the children.