Features
Lighting up for Christmas…
Yes, the holiday season began, in the States, on Wednesday, November 29th, when the massive and iconic Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree was lit up, officially ringing in the Christmas spirit from New York and around the world.
The 80-foot Norwegian spruce is adorned with about 50,000 lights, which totals about five miles of wire.
New York Mayor Eric Adams helped flip the switch that illuminated the tree while the Young People’s Chorus from New York City sang “Joy to the World.”
Singer Kelly Clarkson hosted the 91st celebration, with guest appearances by Cher, Barry Manilow, Keke Palmer and several other celebrities.
Of course, we have it in our part of the world, too, but not on such a gigantic scale.
Jazz outfit entertaining the gathering
Most of our Christmas tree lighting ceremonies are confined mainly to five-star settings.
I checked out the setup at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, on Sunday, November 26th.
It was kind of nostalgia, for me, as I’ve been to most of the Mount Lavinia Hotel’s Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, and that Christmas spirit comes alive when you are part of this scene.
This year’s event drew quite a large crowd, and there were many well-known personalities, as well, including Brian Kerkoven, Raffealla Fernando, Rozanne Diasz, Angela Seneviratne, and Terry Bertus.
The tree was lit up by religious leaders, and U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung, and Chief Operating Officer of the Mount Lavinia Hotel, Anura Dewapura.
School choir in perfect harmony
The fireworks display was very impressive and so were the melodious performances of the choirs of St. Sebastian’s College, St. Thomas’ College and St. Peter’s College.
There was also entertainment in the form of a jazz outfit, with Kumar de Silva doing the needful as compere.
The next big event, at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, is their New Year’s Eve extravaganza ‘A Night in Copacabana’ with the band Freeze and DJ Delo.
Among the highlights, as the New Year 2024 approaches, will be a fireworks display.