Archive: Society | Religion Religion
Believers go on pilgrimage to Velehrad for Cyril and Methodius celebrations
As the annual celebrations of the legacy of St. Cyril and Methodius
approach many believers are undertaking a religious pilgrimage to the
historic town of Velehrad, where the missionary brothers Cyril and
Methodius arrived in 863 to preach the Gospel in the Slavonic language. One
of these walking pilgrimages is on its way now, having set off from the
town of St Hostýn on Monday. More
Concert, screening at Prague’s Lucerna to mark day against racism
March 21st is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination and to mark the occasion organisers from Opona, a non-profit
NGO, have helped put together an exhibition, screening and concert to take
place on Wednesday afternoon and evening at Prague’s Lucerna. Several
notable Czech artists, including Ester Kočičková Xindl X, and the Tap
Tap are taking part. More
Varnsdorf, a north Bohemian town in the path of Buddha
A town surrounded by deep pine forests, dotted with old timbered
German-style villas and occasional Communist-era prefab houses, a town
boasting many parks, a river, two churches – and the country’s first
Buddhist temple. This is Varnsdorf, a town of 16,000 in the northernmost
part of the Czech Republic. More
Mailbox
In this edition we read from your letters of condolence on the death in
December of the former president Václav Havel; we quote from your answers
to December's mystery Czech quiz question; and we announce a brand new
question for January. Listeners/readers quoted:Mary Lou Krenek, Allan
Loudell, Jana Zimmer, Lynda-Marie Hauptmann, Andy Martynyuk, Madeleine
Blum, Bibi Z. Shah, Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak, Caitlin Brown, Colin Law, Charles
Konecny, Jonathan Murphy, Hans Verner Lollike. More
Václav Havel honoured at Prague’s Chanukah ceremony
The late president Václav Havel was honoured by Prague’s Jewish
community on Wednesday during a Chanukah lighting ceremony in Jan Palach
square in the centre of the capital. Jewish leaders, along with diplomats
and the mayor of Prague, said the festival celebrates the same values
Václav Havel always stood up for. More
Religion, ethnicity ignored by many Czechs in latest population census
Over the past decade, Czech society has seen a number of interesting
changes and trends, as shown by preliminary results of the 2011 population
census which were released on Thursday. The figures show the country’s
population grew a little, mainly due to migration. Czechs are also more
educated than they used to be, and many more of them live alone. If
people’s answers in the census are to be trusted, more people declared
themselves to be Jedi knights than Romanies. More
News from the regions
In this week’s Panorama: a dispute over a Carpathian wooden church ends
in a surprising manner, home-made folk music instruments and an almond
orchard in Moravia.
More
Central European Muslim leaders lament restrictive legislation, media bias
Muslim leaders from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia came
to Prague on Tuesday to share their experiences and to discuss the
challenges faced by their communities. The numbers of the Muslim
populations in their countries vary significantly, as do their historic
backgrounds. But the debate showed that some challenges are shared by
Muslims across the region: islamophobia, media bias, and severe legislative
restrictions. More
Caritas providing all-round assistance in Uganda
The Prague branch of the Christian charity Caritas is involved in aid and
development projects in many parts of the world, among them India, Zambia,
Congo and Uganda. Its work in Uganda, east Africa, spans a decade and
involves a broad range of activities. Petra Matulova, Caritas development
centre director, explains how one form of assistance led to another. More
Sri Lankan monk Bhante Wimala and Buddhism in the Czech Republic
This week sees an important holiday for a fifth of the world’s
population, namely Buddhists, who will be marking the anniversary of the
birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha on May 17. Some in the Czech
Republic will be celebrating the day as well, and that will be thanks to a
large part to Bhante Wimala, a Sri Lankan monk based in the United States
who started the Czech Republic’s first two Buddhist centres, the Samadhi
Meditation Centre near Mělník and the Lotus Centre in Prague. In
Today’s One on One Christian Falvey speaks with Bhante Wimala about his
work in the Czech Republic and the messages of Buddhism. More
+1
+10
