Holiday preparations are in full swing in the Russian capital. Russia's centrepiece – the New Year tree – has arrived in Moscow. It will adorn the Cathedral Square in the Kremlin over the holiday season.

Dozens of Muscovites have already come to see the tree in spite of the chilly weather.

Thirty-three metres high and five-metres wide, the tree was felled not far from Moscow. It will take several days to decorate the tree, but by December 24 it will be fully decked out in time for the first holiday performance for children.

What is normally thought of as a Christmas tree in the west, Russia instead has the New Year tree, a name which became common in the Soviet times so as to avoid any religious reference. Even though religion regained its place in post-Soviet Russia, the name stuck. This is also due to the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7, and for many Russians New Year remains a bigger holiday.

The tradition of setting up a fir tree in the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square dates back to imperial Russia. Broken after the Bolshevik revolution, it was renewed in 1996 by President Boris Yeltsin.

For the second year in a row a tree has been brought from the Moscow region. In 2005 and 2006 it was cut from the forests of Veliky Ustyug, where Father Frost – Russia’s equivalent of Santa Claus – lives.

In the meantime, Muscovites are in a rush preparing for their own New Year. Tree markets opened in the Russian capital on Saturday. Almost 300 vending points have been organised, from which everyone can buy New Year decorations. Every tree has its own price and must be measured and packed individually before being sold.

Last year more than 40,000 trees were delivered to markets, and in 2008 officials from the Consumer Department have assured Moscow that there will be no lack of them