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Every year Nova Scotia gives Boston a Christmas tree to thank the city for its help after the Halifax Explosion of 6 December 1917, when a munitions ship blew up in Halifax harbour. Boston sent a relief train with doctors, nurses and supplies that same night.

Halifax, 6 December 1917

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The story behind the card

The French cargo ship Mont-Blanc, loaded with wartime explosives, collided with the Norwegian ship Imo in the harbour's narrows and caught fire. When it blew up, it was the largest explosion people had ever caused, and remained so until the first atomic bombs. Nearly 2,000 people died, about 9,000 were injured, and more than 12,000 buildings were destroyed or badly damaged. A blizzard the next day slowed the Boston train, but it arrived with medical teams and supplies. Halifax sent a tree in thanks in 1918, and in 1971 Nova Scotia revived the gift as a yearly tradition. The tree, usually a tall spruce or fir, becomes Boston's official Christmas tree on Boston Common.

Türkçe oku
Kanada'nın Nova Scotia eyaleti, 1917'deki Halifax Patlaması'nın ardından gördüğü yardıma teşekkür olarak her yıl Boston'a bir Noel ağacı gönderir. O yıl 6 Aralık'ta Halifax limanında bir cephane gemisi patlamış, Boston daha o gece doktor, hemşire ve malzeme yüklü bir yardım treni yola çıkarmıştı.
Halifax, 6 Aralık 1917

Savaş için patlayıcı yüklü Fransız yük gemisi Mont-Blanc, limanın dar boğazında Norveç gemisi Imo ile çarpıştı ve alev aldı. Gemi patladığında bu, insan eliyle yol açılmış en büyük patlamaydı ve ilk atom bombalarına kadar da öyle kaldı. Yaklaşık 2.000 kişi öldü, 9.000 kadar kişi yaralandı ve 12.000'i aşkın bina yıkıldı ya da ağır hasar gördü. Ertesi gün bastıran tipi Boston treninin yolunu uzattı, ama tren sağlık ekipleri ve malzemeyle ulaştı. Halifax 1918'de teşekkür için bir ağaç gönderdi; Nova Scotia 1971'de bu hediyeyi yeniden başlattı ve her yıl sürdürülen bir geleneğe dönüştürdü. Genellikle uzun bir ladin ya da köknar olan ağaç, Boston Common parkında kentin resmî Noel ağacı olur.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Halifax Explosion
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