Peace Light of Bethlehem

The Peace Light of Bethlehem is a program inaugurated in Austria in 1986 as part of a charitable relief mission for handicapped children and people in need.

[1] The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF OÖ) founded the “Light of Peace from Bethlehem” as a new Christmas tradition more than 30 years ago back in 1986.

[citation needed] Upper Austria's Governor Thomas Stelzer personally leads the delegation to deliver the Light of Peace from Bethlehem via Linz to the European Capital City of Brussels.

[citation needed] In 1989 the light was welcomed by 10,000 people on the main square of the South Bohemian city České Budějovice as a symbol of the new neighbourhood and solidarity.

"[citation needed] The "ORF Light of Peace from Bethlehem" reached out to many prominent personalities as a Christmas greeting in the past few years.

In Austria itself, it will be distributed on December 24 in local studios of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), at many train stations, Red Cross and Samaritan Federation offices, churches, fire departments, by the scouts and in Fire-departments.

[3] In Germany, the campaign is organized by some Boy Scout Associations (Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder, Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft Sankt Georg, Pfadfinderinnenschaft St. Georg, Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder and Verband Deutscher Altpfadfindergilden) The light is picked up by train from Vienna and then distributed in over 100 cities across Germany.

[citation needed] The light distributed in Poland is also passed on to neighboring countries in the east, specifically to Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.

Every year a delegation of Portuguese scouts travels to Austria to fetch the Light of Peace and then shares the flame in a national celebration which is then replicated in all regions and some localities of Portugal.

[5] Since 1990 Catholic Scout Association ( https://skavti.si/slovenski-skavti ) has been distributing the light throughout Slovenia, bringing the flame to highest Slovenian mountain peak and to the president and other officials as well.