Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue to be lit up in Estonia's national colors
Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue, the city's iconic landmark located at the summit of the Corcovado, will be lit up blue, black and white on Feb. 24 on the occasion of the country's centennial Independence Day.
According to Second Secretary at the Brazilian Embassy in Tallinn Ramiru dos Santos, the embassy got the help of Estonian Ambassador to Brazil Mart Tarmak as well as the city of Rio de Janeiro and the Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro.
The lighting of the statue is often changed for specific occasions, such as the recent Finnish centennial, but also for various causes, such as breast cancer or AIDS awareness days.
According to dos Santos, the embassy brought up the subject with the city and others because they felt that the celebration of the Republic of Estonia's 100th anniversary was a good occasion to bring the two countries closer together, as both greatly valued their sovereignty and freedom.
Christ the Redeemer will be lit up in the colors of the Estonian flag from 7 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24.
The Art Deco statue, called Cristo Redentor in Brazilian Portuguese, was created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by engineers Heitor da Silva Costa and Albert Caquot. Romanian artist Gheorghe Leonida contributed the statue's face. The 30 meter statue was completed in 1931.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
