A snapshot of the build-up to Christmas in Split.
A dignified ceremony was held on Saturday afternoon at the Split cathedral. From the other side of the world, from Bethlehem, the Christmas Peace Light arrived in the city of Split, carried as usual by scouts. This year, the honour of bringing the lantern into the Split cathedral was awarded to Andrea Domazet, Ivana Jarebica and George Blandford, members of the Split Scout squad. “I am so proud, it is so nice and I am very excited. I have been a scout for eight years and I now I have the honour to bring this important light to my city”, Andrea said, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on Deember 20, 2015.
Young scouts entered the church in a procession, accompanied by “Silent Night” sung by mixed vocal group Ćakula and welcomed by Tomislav Čubelić, head of the Split cathedral. “I do not know who would be more appropriate to carry this pure light than you scouts, young people who refuse to be manipulated with, who are constantly on the move, exploring, looking for depth. Therefore, you are always looking for a light, because nothing is as strong and stable, and without light there is no life. The light is not and must not be an obstacle”, Čubelić said and wished marry Christmas to everybody in the crowded cathedral.
“The light which we have brought to you is not an ordinary light, nor is it a product of the modern consumerist society. We carry a message of peace, kindness and other basic human values. This light illuminates the human spirit, take it to your homes and parishes”, the scouts said to the gathered crowd which was lit by candles and lanterns and was waiting in line to take some of the Bethlehem Peace Light to their homes.
In Split, this tradition started 22 years ago, but the initiative was actually born slightly earlier, in 1986. It all began on Christmas Eve during a charity event broadcast on Austrian television by a viewer who wanted to give lanterns instead of Christmas gifts. Since then, on the first Sunday of Advent, a representative of the Austrian Scouts organization lights the flame in the cave of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem and brings it to Vienna.
After the ceremony attended by Croatian scouts as well, the light spreads through the world, including many Croatian parishes. It is interesting that the Bethlehem Peace Light is the only open flame which is allowed to be transported by plane, and that the message of peace has so far not encountered any obstacles during its travels.
