The period around the date of January 6 traditionally belongs to the three-circle rounds in our area. This was also the case on Tuesday 7 January, when a group of children from the Cardinal Beran Kindergarten arrived at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen to collect a contribution for the Tříkrál collection. Carols were sung on the campus of the University of West Bohemia and the children were welcomed by the Rector of the University of West Bohemia Miroslav Lávička. Their visit is commemorated by the inscriptions K+M+B 2025.
The little carolers caroled accompanied by their teachers and collected into the collection box of the Diocesan Charity Pilsen. This year they were also children from the university kindergarten, which is run by the Cardinal Beran Kindergarten Plzeň and founded by the Diocese of Plzeň. They visited the Rector's Office of the University of UWB and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and on Thursday they will head to the Faculty of Education, Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art. Other interested parties will also be able to contribute.
The Cardinal Beran Kindergarten has a capacity of 86 children in two branches, with a total of four classes. "Our kindergarten has its values anchored in Christian foundations in line with modern trends in preschool education. At the Bory branch, in cooperation with ZČU Plzeň, which provides built premises on the university campus, we run one Christian class and two humanities classes for children of ZČU employees," described Petra Mayerová, the director of the Cardinal Beran Kindergarten. If parents employed at UWB are interested in Christian guidance for their children, their offspring can also be educated in the Christian class.
"In the first week of January, the children of the University Nursery bring God's blessing for the New Year to all the generous donors among the University staff. In return, some of the students have a program that allows the children to learn about the faculty environment," said the nursery director.
The Bishop of the Pilsen Diocese, Tomáš Holub, said that it is not only about opening wallets, but above all about opening hearts. "People know exactly where their donations are going so they can confidently help those in need. To be specific, I can think of the Karlovy Vary Parish Charity, for example, which this year will use the proceeds to buy a new car for Alzheimer's patients. The money will be used for a weekly residential care centre in Karlovy Vary-Stará Role," he said.
The collection is a charity event that is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the Czech Republic this year. In general, this tradition has much deeper historical roots. "Since time immemorial, carolers have wished God's blessing on people at the beginning of January, around the feast of the Three Kings, spreading messages of merciful love and asking for donations to help people in need. These kings were originally wise men from the East who, according to Matthew's Gospel, came to Bethlehem shortly after Jesus' birth and brought precious gifts to the Son of God: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They are said to have been named Kašpar, Melichar and Baltazar, and many people mistakenly believe that this is why the inscription K+M+B, written in holy chalk, appears on the doors of houses on 6 January, the Feast of the Epiphany," explained Karel Řeháček, director of the State Regional Archive in Plzeň and a lecturer at the History Department of the Faculty of Education at the University of West Bohemia.
"According to Latin Christian tradition, the mentioned letters mean something completely different, namely the Latin Christus mansionem benedicat or Christ bless this dwelling. The pluses between the letters are in fact crosses, symbols of the Christian faith. The tradition of Christmas Eve is not only the definitive end of Christmas, it has above all a deep spiritual meaning. It is good that modern society also remembers it," Řeháček added.
University-wide |
Kateřina Dobrovolná |
07. 01. 2025 |