Bethlehem light to arrive in Czechia from Austria on Saturday evening

Members of the Scouts organisation will bring the annual Bethlehem light to Czechia from Austria on Saturday evening, following a ceremony in Vienna. The flame was first lit in Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestine, and will arrive into Brno by train. On Sunday afternoon, an ecumenical welcoming of the Bethlehem light will take place in Brno’s Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. On Saturday 21st, the scouts will then distribute the light by train throughout Czechia.

The idea of passing on a flame, and along with it pre-Christmas peace and tranquility, originated in Austria, from where it spread to other countries. The light first arrived in 1986 by plane to Linz, where it became part of the Christmas collection of Austrian Radio and Television to help disabled children. After the fall of the communist regime, the tradition also took hold in Czechia.