Brno, Dec 16 (CTK) – Scouts from Brno traditionally travelled to Vienna by train and took the Bethlehem light from there to the Czech Republic on Saturday and they brought this symbol of Christmas to the cathedrals in Brno, Olomouc and Prague on Sunday.
Ceske drahy state-run railway operator spokeswoman Monika Bezuchova said the scouts would transport the light to all parts of the country aboard trains.
One of the scouts who went from Brno to Vienna, Veronika Bilosova, said the Bethlehem light seems very important to her. “Everybody knows it must not go out. It is such a flame of hope, peace, something that should unite us,” she said.
This modern tradition emerged in Austria in 1986. The light is lit in Bethlehem where Jesus Christ was born and transported to Austria. The tradition has spread to two dozen other countries since then. In the Czech Republic, the light appeared in 1989 for the first time, shortly after the collapse of the communist regime.
The Bethlehem light symbolises friendship, peace and the birth of Jesus Christ. This year’s motto is Look through your heart.
