Then, about 200 men walk the route wearing half- to full-metre-tall paper bishop hats, lit from within by candles and cut with intricate, stained glass window-like designs featuring Saint Nicholas.

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Before the play begins, with the house lights up, Ms. Shaw takes her place encased in a glass box stage right, dressed more or less like the image of Mary we've seen in churches and on candles.

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The gers also house a limited-edition collection of Mongolian-inspired products, like chunky jewellery, fur-trimmed leather handbags, ornamented enamel picture frames, candles and housewares.

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You learn tricks like putting a little water at the bottom of a votive holder to pop the candles out at the end of the evening, or pouring out all the liquid when clearing champagne flutes so you can lay them on their side on the clearing tray (drastically reducing the risk of breaking them as they all topple over).

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