In Smolevichi, the New Year's tree was placed directly on the roadway
In the district center of Smolevichi, Minsk region, a New Year's tree was installed, just like in other cities across the country. It was placed in a rather crowded spot in the square, writes Blizko.by.
The tree was fenced off with a small fence, and in front of it, 'no entry' and '40' signs were installed, along with a 'detour right' sign.
A video filmed from a car was uploaded to TikTok — and it went viral.
Many commentators were surprised by the indignation of the video's creators and began recalling historical facts:
- — As far as I remember, the New Year's tree was placed in this spot even during Soviet times.
- — Why laugh: I've lived in the city for 40 years, and for all 40 years, it has always been placed in this square.
- — We are very happy and grateful that it's here again, not by the lake. This is a tradition of Smolevichi's main city square.
- — For several decades in a row, New Year's trees have been placed specifically in this spot, which is very convenient for the old part of the city. Because walking to the tree from the old to the new part of the city is far, and many residents, due to age, miss out on the holiday. The square is large and does not obstruct car traffic.
- — They've been putting it there for about 40 years. Of course, it's silly. There are many places for trees in the city, but apparently, out of habit, they put it in the same place.
But there were also those who still saw certain inconveniences with the tree in the square:
- — Children should be running around the tree, but here cars are driving around it — it's absurd.
- — Only one tree for the entire city — and that one is in the middle of the road.
- — It's high time to allocate a separate spot for the tree in the center of the square. This place wasn't always fully asphalted — there used to be much more green space for recreation here.
- — I was driving a semi-truck there. I thought I was dreaming: a tree on the road.