The festive lighting of the Christmas tree and the opening of the collection will take place on 3 December 2017 at 4:30 pm at St. George's Square at Prague Castle . Like in previous years, even this year, lighting will be accompanied by a musical program. In addition to the Music Guard of the Castle Guard, the Children's Choir of Rolnička Prague will also perform under the guidance of the conductor of Karel Virgler.
The wife of the President of the Republic, Ivana Zemanová, took over the patronage of the collection for the fourth time. It continues the tradition of Christmas collections for SOS Children's Villages , founded in 1968 by Irena Svobodová, wife of President Ludwig Svoboda. It was followed by Olga Havlová, the first post-revolutionary collection in favor of SOS Children's Villages in the castle was held in 1992.
"At the beginning of the 1990s, the collection was tremendously successful, an incredible 1.9 million crowns were collected in 1993. The number of collections and organizations helping children has grown considerably since then, yields have been much more modest in recent years and we will be glad if people come to support vulnerable children, " said SOS Children's Village National Director Jindra Salatova.
The festive Christmas tree lighting is intended for the general public and is accessible free of charge. The people can contribute to the Christmas tree under the Christmas tree at the Prague Castle until January 6, 2018. The proceeds will support the work of the Prague SOS Slunecko facility, which accepts children in crisis situations who need immediate help.
Source: tz, edited editorially
