It was about two weeks ago, when I first noticed this interesting thing. At first I didn't know what it was, but those colorful pieces can attract all eyes, so it was obvious I needed to check it out.
So I went closer and saw it was a cone shaped thing. I could only guess it's going to be a very unusual Christmas tree and was not wrong at all.
Next day I was passing by and saw a team working on setting it up, so I stopped for a minute to have a good look at it. The first thought or the first feeling I had was regret that I could not participate in this project, whatever it was as at that point I knew nothing about it. Its cone shape sure let anyone think of a Christmas tree, a very unusual one as I said, but interesting as well.
I was thinking it would have been nice to knit one or two colorful pieces or crochet a couple nice ones and have it among the other ones. It's always a pleasure to know you contributed to a bigger project, you had your small drops added to the big ocean.
What you see there is all handmade and you can imagine how many people can be involved in the process, to execute a project of this magnitude.
Turns out the announcement of the project was made in September 2022 and the requirement was to create 20cm wide, knitted or crocheted pieces.
Individuals, families, civil organizations, women's organizations, dance groups, multinational and small companies, kindergartens, universities, associations, mayor's offices, famous public figures, bands from the country and abroad joined us for the initiative. Scarves arrived from the United States of America, Ecuador, Mongolia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, England, Sweden, Denmark. source
I knew about the attempt to create the longest scarf in order to break the existing record, but I don't know why I didn't think of actually sit down and create a few pieces. It only occurred to me when I saw the Christmas tree, or the cone covered with the scarf pieces, but it was too late.
This project is more than just knitting and crocheting. Way more than that and I'll tell you why.
Back in the day, when people were self sufficient, they made everything they had themselves, a lot of effort went into creating the needed thing. Community effort was strong and the relationship between people was very different than what we're experiencing today.
Women got together during winter evenings to make yarn or carry out different needlework activities. This was also a great occasion to share their stories and to gossip of course. But mainly, this was their only social activity, that also bonded them together. Now all that is lost as there are no needlework activities, except for a few gatherings here and there and a good part of the women can't even crochet or knit anything, unfortunately. You can buy everything from the stores, so why bother, right?
Such an initiative can help teach the younger generation, motivate them to learn needlework tasks. It can also bring together women of all ages.
Schools, churches were involved in the project, many women and men joined forces to get the job done and reach the end goal.
Thousands got to show their creativity with this occasion, from all over the word. I know from a trusted source that certain churches organized trips to the fortress of Marosv谩s谩rhely (Targu Mures) and gathered talented and less talented ladies for these workshops.
This was an excellent community building activity. If you look at the photos, you can see there were elderly ladies too. Unfortunately not much entertainment is left for them these days, especially if their families are far away and visiting rarely.
Occasions like this could offer them a few hours of happiness, granting them a short time to enjoy other's company as well.
As far as I know, the end result is a 3000m, or 3km long scarf and the motto of the event was stories connect. These words have a double meaning applied to the project as these pieces were joined together and people were connected throughout the project.
So long story short, the cone was dressed up with these piece and the result was placed in the heart of the city, where usually the Christmas tree stands. A few days later I'm reading in the paper that some citizens expressed their indignation about the project, called it ugly and asked to be removed. I could not believe my eyes, but it seems like the pressure was too high as a couple days later a decision was made, to relocate the scarf Christmas tree.
Today the unique scarf Christmas tree is inside the fortress, attracting tourists and locals equally. I saw people taking photos in front of it, to have a nice memory with this unique project.
It's sad that it came to this decision but the recent events can't take away the power of this project. It shows that people are capable of almost anything if they work together. I truly hope this is not the last project of this nature. Next time I also need to pay more attention and contribute if I can as I missed out on this one.
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