On Sunday in Zakopane, Slovak scouts handed over the Light of Bethlehem to Polish scouts. The Slovaks had received the flame on Saturday (6 December) at an international ecumenical ceremony held at the cathedral in Linz, Austria. The tradition of passing the symbolic flame to Polish scouts dates back to 1991, with the handover location alternating each year on either side of the High Tatra Mountains.
Veronika Hamráková, coordinator of the Light of Bethlehem for the Tatra Mountains region, explained that the flame, originally lit in Bethlehem from the eternal fire in the Grotto of the Nativity, symbolizes faith, hope, and unity, heralding the arrival of Christmas.
Slovak scouts will continue distributing the Light of Bethlehem across Slovakia in churches and town squares until Christmas.
Source: TASR
