The National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony was held on Bay Street on Thursday evening. The yearly ceremony marks the start of the Christmas season in the country.
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Montez Williams spoke with ZNS News before the start of the ceremony. Williams explained that the ministry chose to decorate the national tree, positioned on Bay Street and Bank Lane, with colours reminiscent of the Bahamian flag. He also disclosed that the tree was decorated by staff members of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. “We used to decorate the tree some decades ago so were returning back to that where the staff are excited about doing something to bring in the Christmas cheer and something for the country,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary also spoke about the participants in the event and how they were chosen. Williams said, “many of our participants would have been in our E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival. So we tried to give exposure to all of our young artist, in particular, and then cultural artisans so you’ll see a number of artwork on display.”
The National Christmas Tree is expected to remain lit until January 6th, 2024.
