In cooperation with Ruse’s regional history museum, EQ treated to all their friends in the city by hosting a Christmas party.

It was held in the upper floors of the nature and wildlife department on the 15 December, 2005. This part of the building was still under construction so making a mess wasn’t a problem. It also meant that the organiser’s could cleverly create the sense of being in a dark wood by means of special décor and the judicious use of lighting. Hundreds of twinkling candles lit up the stairwell giving people the impression that they were entering an enchanted clearing.

The party was part of EQ’s bigger project “The forest in the city”, financed by the British embassy in which EQ was partnered by the museum. The forest idea was a component of the programme ‘Green Schooling as an Alternative to the Summer Green School’. By exploring the world of trees while remaining in the vicinity of Ruse, EQ graphically demonstrated how, with a little imagination and inventiveness, a school can run a year-long project for less than the cost of the standard green school package. Many kids from the schools and youth clubs, with which EQ works, participated in the event. One game involved turning four of the museum’s pillars into trees representative of the four seasons. The main idea was to demonstrate the symbolism of the tree in Christmas traditions in Bulgaria and other countries.