Gallery: Windows in Väätsa dressed up for Christmas again
A Christmas window decorating tradition started by the small village community of Väätsa has grown so popular that there aren't enough windows to go around.
In Väätsa, both well-known local figure Lauri Läänemets (Social Democratic Party chairman, former minister – ed.) and staff from the village kindergarten took part in decorating windows this year.
"This school year, our theme is fairy tales and the timeless story of Snow White really spoke to us. That's what inspired our window display," said Liia Koppel, director of the Väätsa kindergarten, adding that both the children and many others contributed to the effort.
"The whole team was involved — someone gathered moss, someone brought in animals, someone brought a dwarf, someone brought Snow White and we have Kaire who's incredibly handy and built the whole structure," Koppel said.
This is the ninth year that Väätsa residents have decorated the windows of their community center. There weren't enough windows for everyone who wanted to participate, but there's certainly room for all to enjoy them. In recent years, organizers haven't even been able to keep count of the visitors.
"One year we did count and we had around 15,000 visitors. In recent years we haven't managed to get the counter working again, but even just walking around Väätsa during the holidays, we can see the number of visitors is still very high," said Evelin Parts, project manager for the Väätsa window display.
"For the people of Väätsa, decorating the Christmas windows is probably important because it brings the community together and creates a kind of magical atmosphere. It's a delightful event," said local resident Maiu Juht.
In front of the community center, where the window displays are located, visitors can also explore a Christmas market. On Tuesday, staff from the kindergarten came to sell handmade items to raise money for a good cause.
"The goal is to raise funds for renovating the kindergarten's basement level and for upcoming field trips," said Sigrit Mäeots, a kindergarten parent.
The Väätsa Christmas window displays are open for viewing at any time through January 6 and admission is free.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Johanna Alvin
