A Tree For Boston – Go Global Blog

I have been going to the tree lighting at Boston Common since childhood. Some of my earliest Christmas memories involve standing in front of Boston’s massive Christmas tree and watching as it is lit up for the first time every winter. It wasn’t until recently, though, that I learned the history of Boston’s Christmas tree, and why it stands on the common each year. For starters, I didn’t realize that the tree was given to Boston as a gift from Canada. The tree arrives to the Common (as it has for the past 45 years) after a three-day, 6660-mile trek from Nova Scotia. This year’s tree will be the most recent gift of thanks from Nova Scotia to Boston for the city’s help during the deadliest non-natural disaster in Canadian history: The Halifax Explosion.

(Destruction in Halifax after the explosion and blizzard)

If you are not familiar with the history (I was not) here is a summary of what happened:
The explosion took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia- a busy port city of 50,000 people. On December 16th, 1917, A 320-foot French freighter, The SS Mont Blanc, was loaded with close to 6 million pounds of explosives and waiting to enter Halifax Harbor. Though the ship was carrying a dangerous amount of explosives, it flew no warnings of its cargo for fear it would be made subject of a German attack.

Inside the harbor a Norwegian relief ship, the SS Imo, was waiting to depart. Upon the ships departure, the Imo increased its speed beyond the harbor’s legal limit. Imo then passed a ship on the left (the “wrong side” for passing) and was forced to stay in the opposite lane to avoid a tugboat that was pulling away from shore. This position put Imo facing Mont Blanc. While the Imo should have moved to the right, as Mont Blanc had the right of way, the ship instead stayed where it was, therefore causing an inevitable collision between the two.

Approximately five minutes after 9:00am, the Mont Blanc exploded, in what was the largest man made explosion of the time. The explosion was so powerful that everything within a mile and a half radius was completely obliterated. Parts of the ship were launched miles away from the site of the crash and effects of the explosion were felt as far as 200 miles away. 2,000 people died and 9,000 were injured.

(A part of the Anchor from Mont Blanc, thrown 2.5 miles from the crash site, is now a monument in the spot it landed)

So where does Boston come in?

News of the explosion traveled quickly, and despite an oncoming blizzard that would cut off access to Nova Scotia, Boston Mayor James Michael Curley sent a message to the U.S. representative in Halifax just hours after the explosion stating that Boston will await instruction on how to help. Boston was the first to respond to this tragedy, raising $100,000 for relief efforts just within the first hour of fund raising. Mayor Curley was also able to secure a $30,000 carload of army blankets from the government. Additionally, Boston sent a train of 30 of the city’s leading physicians and surgeons, 70 nurses, a completely equipped 500-bed base hospital unite and a vast amount of hospital supplies.
Total relief contributions from Massachusetts totaled over $750,000. The Boston Symphony Orchestra even performed a sellout benefit concert for Halifax the next week.

A year later, to show their appreciation, Nova Scotia sent a gift to Boston – The Boston Christmas Tree! In 1971 this gift became an annual tradition. Throughout the year, the “Christmas Tree Specialist” in the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources keeps an eye out for the perfect tree to send. Once the tree is found, the province holds a celebratory tree cutting ceremony and sends the tree off to Boston Common the next day with a parade in downtown Halifax (you can even follow the tree’s journey via @TreeForBoston on Twitter and Facebook).

The 2016 Christmas Tree arrived to Boston last Friday and will be lit December 1st at the Boston Common Tree Lighting Ceremony and Skating Spectacular. Mayor Marty Walsh will host the event, which will also include refreshments, live music, and an ice skating show on Frog Pond, courtesy of the Skating Club of Boston. The event begins at 6:00pm and is free and open to the public 🙂

By Global Immersions, Inc.