Slovak Scouts Hand over Light of Bethlehem to Poles in Zakopane

Zakopane, 7 December (TASR-correspondent) - On Sunday in Zakopane, Slovak scouts handed over the Light of Bethlehem to Polish scouts, which they had received on Saturday (6 December) at an international ecumenical ceremony in the cathedral in Linz, Austria, the TASR correspondent in Warsaw was told by Veronika Hamrakova, the coordinator of the Light of Bethlehem for the Tatra mountains area. The handover ceremony of the light was held at a morning mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. The tradition, according to which Slovak scouts pass on the symbolic flame to their Polish counterparts, dates back to 1991. Since then, the place of handover has alternated annually on both sides of the High Tatra mountains. "About 250 scouts from under the Tatra mountains and eastern Slovakia came to the event from Slovakia," said Hamrakova. The flame was lit by the leader of Slovak Scouting, Marian Lezo. On the Polish side, about 3,500 people from 350 troops took part in the event. According to Hamrakova, the flame that the scouts lit in Bethlehem from the eternal fire in the Grotto of the Nativity symbolises faith, hope, and unity, and heralds the arrival of Christmas. "The Light of Bethlehem is a symbol of the true light, Jesus Christ, which descends to Earth during this time of year to dispel the darkness of evil, suffering, and sin," Hamrakova used the words of the Bethlehem Light welcoming ceremony, adding that the Scout approach helps young people look beyond the material world and seek spiritual reality also through these traditions. Slovak scouts will be distributing the Light of Bethlehem throughout Slovakia in churches and town squares until Christmas. Polish scouts will also take the light from Zakopane to President Karol Nawrocki and then on to Germany, Lithuania, and Ukraine. am