Unique Christmas tree decorations from around the world on display in Minsk

A magical festive atmosphere has pervaded the halls of the National History Museum of Belarus. An exhibition of Christmas tree decorations opened at the museum on the eve of Christmas and New Year. It will be running during the whole month of December and almost till the end of January. The exhibition displays Christmas ornaments that are taken out of boxes only once a year. They do not only create a magic ambiance but also preserve our favorite Christmas memories.

The exhibition features some 400 rare Christmas tree decorations from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and many other countries from the private collection of Andrei Begun. All in all, his collection comprises over a thousand ornaments from around the world. The handicraft decorations are very much different from faceless mass-production ornaments.

The visitors are invited to trace the history of glass Christmas tree decorations from the middle of the 19th century up to now. Among the exhibits there are ball ornaments, glass icicles and flashlights, animals from different countries and fairy tale characters.

Decorations that have no analogues in Europe take a special place in the exhibition. For example, among the exhibits there is an Austrian-Hungarian glass ball ornament dating back to late 19th century from a real Vienna Christmas ball. There is also an exact copy of the ornament presented to Pope John Paul II. The original got into the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest glass-blown Christmas tree ornament.

Some unique Christmas decorations have been made especially for the exhibition. These include ball ornaments with tiny copies of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Ivan Aivazovsky, Ivan Shishkin, Viktor Vasnetsov, and Marc Chagall who was born in the Belarusian city of Vitebsk.

The guests are invited to plunge into the atmosphere of festive hustle and bustle. Short films about the process of making a Christmas tree decoration are shown on large screens. Besides, the visitors can paint their own Christmas ornament, buy souvenirs, and send a postcard to their friends and family via the Father Frost’s Mail Service.

See photos of unique Christmas tree ornaments from around the world and learn great decorating ideas in the gallery of Belarus.by

Photo: Oksana Manchuk