Tomorrow, Thursday, the lighting of the Christmas lights in Madrid begins. And one of the great novelties is going to be the Easter flower that has been installed on the corner of Gran Vía and Alcalá street, where years ago the giant ball was placed, which this year has been moved to Plaza de España.
It is an illuminated flower in green, red and yellow colors, which has 66,000 LED bulbs. It measures nine meters high and its diameter is 7.5 meters.
Its installation at that emblematic intersection responds to the fact that Gran Vía is going to become a winter garden with lots of light and color this Christmas. Last night the lighting tests were carried out and this new illuminated statue could be seen for the first time.
The poinsettias or Easter flower has taken root in Spanish homes in recent years. Every year about 10 million are sold in Spain, a figure that reaches 110 million at a European level. The sales season starts at the end of October and reaches its peak at Christmas.
This plant is an Aztec symbol and represented purity and a new life for that civilization. From the 17th century it took on Christmas connotations.
Its name refers to Joel Roberts Poinsett, who is considered the great discoverer of this plant. This American botanist, who lived between 1779 and 1851, became the first ambassador of the poinsettia in Mexico and expanded it to all botanical gardens in the United States. During the 19th century it was already known in America.
Poinsett died on December 12 and that day went down in history to become the date on which this flower is honored. Although it is usually red and green due to its resistance inside heated houses, there are also burgundy, white, pink, yellow and even two-tone colors.
Starting in 1950, a turning point arose and it became the Christmas flower. Its popularity has reached such a point that Stars for Europe was established in 2000, an initiative of European producers to promote and maintain their sales. This year, Madrid pays tribute to the Christmas plant, placing it in one of its most emblematic corners.
