Holidays from around the World at Your Doorstep
By Chrysoula Economopoulos
The holiday season is here… time for some holiday cheer!
Washington can’t typically claim snowy landscapes peppered with sleigh bells ringing, children sledding, and extravagantly decorated storefront windows. But it does offer something that few places around the world can offer: a microcosm of holiday celebrations.
Beginning in late November and throughout December, several foreign embassies and the U.S. government celebrate the holiday season each in their own festive way.
AMERICA, AMERICA!
The U.S. National Christmas Tree on December 4, 2008, during the 2008 Lighting of the National Christmas Tree Ceremony.
Why not kick off the holidays with a good old American tradition – visit the National Christmas Tree on the White House’s Ellipse (aka. the south lawn). The tradition began under President Calvin Coolidge in 1923 and has come a long way, baby: This year’s tree is the most energy efficient and brightest in history, powered by LED technology. If you missed the lighting ceremony on December 3 – fewer than 10,000 tickets were available by lottery – the tree will stay up until January 1, featuring free nightly performances (downloadable program in PDF) and other activities.
The National Christmas Tree will soon be joined on the Ellipse by the National Chanukah Menorah on December 13, with a special lighting ceremony that day at 4:00p.m. A quick drive down the street to the Capitol Building’s West Lawn (Constitution & Independence Avenues), the Capitol Christmas Tree will be lit on December 8 at 5:00p.m., with the ceremony open to the public.
ROYAL NORWEGIAN EMBASSY
For the 13th year in a row, the Royal Norwegian Embassy decks the halls with a Norwegian Christmas at Union Station, featuring a 32-foot Christmas tree and train exhibit, as well as a series of events and concerts in various venues around the city. Visit Union Station (50 Massachusetts Ave NE) between December 3, 2009-January 3, 2010.
EMBASSY OF CANADA
This Saturday, December 5, the Embassy of Canada (501 Pennsylvania Ave NW) hosts its Winter Gala. From 8:00-9:00p.m., guests will sip complimentary champagne then watch the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 10:00p.m. Tickets go for $75 (includes music, hors d’oevres, cash bar), with proceeds benefitting the Government of Canada’s United Way Campaign. R.S.V.P. is required – email Kandice.Zeman@international.gc.ca. Photo ID required for security entrance.
EMBASSY OF GERMANY
Celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall and get your holidays in gear with the German Embassy’s Black Tie Holiday this Saturday, December 5 (limited space remains), hosted at the embassy (4645 Reservoir Rd NW). The gala’s theme is “Saluting 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall”. Festivities kick off at 7:30p.m. and include music from the band Suspicious Package at 9:00p.m., include an open bar, German holiday food and desserts, a Berlin Wall presentation, DJ, and dancing. For additional information and to purchase tickets ($70/ticket), see the ThingsToDoDC.com site.
EMBASSY OF SWEDEN
The Annual Swedish Christmas Bazaar will take place on December 5 at the House of Sweden (2900 K Street NW, Washington), the building that is home to the Swedish Embassy and a number of other organizations. The bazaar begins at 11:00a.m., offering traditional Swedish baked goods, crafts, crystal, textiles, food, books and more. The event culminates with a Lucia procession at 5:30p.m. Suggested donation: $2 at the door.
Santa Lucia After Dark Ball is next up for Sweden on the evening of December 12. Also taking place at the House of Sweden, this “holiday cocktail gala and celebration of lights” will feature the Singco Rhythm Orchestra, an open rooftop winter bar serving glögg, Swedish hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and images of Swedish winter landscapes and the aurora borealis. Tickets start at $40 (general admission).
EMBASSY OF FRANCE
Eiffel Tower, Paris
La Maison Française (4101 Reservoir Rd, NW, Washington), the Embassy of France’s cultural home, will host “Holiday Party in Paris 2009!” on December 11 from 7:00p.m.-11:00p.m. Guests will be transported “passport-free to Paris for an evening of celebration, effervescence, and early holiday shopping” with a silent auction, Parisian-inspired buffet, champagne, live music and DJ beats. Tickets available for $60 ($30 tax deductible) at InstantSeats.com.
RUSSIAN EMBASSY CULTURAL CENTER
On December 19, the Russian Embassy’s Russian Cultural Center (1825 Phelps Place NW) beckons you to “add a unique touch to your Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa celebrations this year… with a unique Russian experience – without ever leaving the District.” Russian food, cocktails, film, a special “Nutcracker” ballet presentation, diplomatic greeting, and late-night DJ are all on the evening’s roster of the center’s Russian Evening and Holiday Nutcracker Celebration. Tickets and additional details are available through ThingsToDoDC.com.
Touring the U.S. Capitol
Free ticket to tour the Capitol
By Elisabeth Grant
With so many museums, monuments, and historic points of interest, it’s hard to decide where to start when touring the nation’s capital. The Washington Monument’s sheer height might beckon you first, or the White House’s grand facade, but no trip to DC is complete without making a stop at the Capitol and the still rather new Capitol Visitor Center.
In the Capitol Visitor Center you can peruse educational and interactive exhibitions in Exhibition Hall: touch a scale model of the Capitol dome, see the Lincoln Catafalque (the support of Lincoln’s casket from 1865), and check out various documents, images, and videos. Then, book a free tour of the Capitol through the Visitor Center ticket kiosks (if you haven’t already booked a tour through your Representative or online).
Highlights from the Tour:
Tours at the Capitol run like a well-oiled machine. They start off with a brief 13 minute video titled, “Out of Many, One,” which is the translation of “E pluribus unum,” the motto of the the U.S. that appears on the Great Seal of the United States. The video sets the tone for the tour and gives a quick history of how the U.S. government was created and how laws and amendments have been added over the years. Then, visitors are put into groups and paired with tour guides who deftly lead the way to a fast-paced but well-rounded tour of the Capitol. Here are some highlights you can expect when you make your way through the U.S. Capitol.
1. Statue of Freedom – Capitol Visitor Center
As you enter the Capitol Visitor Center, before you make your way to the tour kiosks or Exhibition hall, you’ll be struck by the grand, nearly 20 foot tall, original plaster model of the Statue of Freedom, the bronze figure that sits atop the Capitol dome. While this is technically a pre-tour feature, the Statue of Freedom is impressive and important enough to highlight.
Original plaster model of the Statue of Freedom
2. The Rotunda
The tour begins with a big wow–entrance into the United States Capitol Rotunda. This ornate and cavernous space leaves visitors wide-eyed, and looking upward to the elaborate fresco painted within the dome, Constantino Brumidi’s “The Apotheosis of Washington.”
The impressive Rotunda of the Capitol.
3. National Statuary Hall
The National Statuary Hall features a few of the 100 statues donated by the 50 states. The rest of these statues have been dispersed throughout the Capitol and Visitor Center.
National Statuary Hall
4. Old Supreme Court Chambers
The Old Supreme Court Chambers are an intimate and dimly lit space. But there’s something quiet and powerful about them, leaving one to imagine how intimidating they may have been back during their use.
Old Supreme Court Chambers
5. Center of DC
The star in the center of the floor marks the center of D.C. Technically this is not the geographic center of the city, but it is where D.C.’s four quadrants begin.
The center of D.C.'s four quadrants.
A trip to the Capitol Visitor Center and a tour of the U.S. Capitol is worth it for out-of-towners and locals alike. The breathtaking architecture coupled with a history lesson on our government makes for an educational and entertaining afternoon. It also doesn’t hurt that its all contained inside, and the Capitol Visitor Center even links to the Library of Congress by way of a tunnel. Good things to know if you hit Washington on a cold or rainy day.