How many years in a row has Drohobych hosted the “Christmas Star – 2024” nativity scene festival. Its participants were almost 400 talented children.
This year, more than 20 creative groups of the Sambir-Drohobytsk Diocese of the UGCC volunteered for the festival.
The Nativity procession started from the Church of St. George, where the head of the Commission on Youth Affairs of the Sambir-Drohobytsk Diocese Fr. Andrii Bun blessed all the participants of the festival.
Accompanied by the well-known carols “New joy has become” and “Ancient God” the column moved through the streets of the city to the People’s House named after Ivan Franko. Along the way, the young participants caroled and glorified the birth of the Son of God. Loud carols and colorful images of the groups warmly greeted passers-by, who took photos with the nativity scene and thanked the creative children for their creativity and the spirit of the holiday. The course was broadcast live by “Live TV”.
Therefore, on the stage of the People’s House, each team presented its own Christmas mystery about the miracle of the birth of the Son of God: unique, unique, but at the same time majestic. The gruesome action lasted for several hours.
All participants of the festival were greeted by Bishop Hryhoriy Komar, assistant bishop of the SDE of the UGCC, who blessed the children for new creative achievements and wished everyone peace.
We remember our heroes, our defenders, soldiers and ask that God’s mercy preserve them from all dangers, so that they return to their homes healthy and victorious as soon as possible, the bishop noted.
The result of the performances of the nursery schools was the recognition of all creative teams and their leaders with diplomas.
Colorful nativity scenes on the streets of the city, on the stage, are a reflection of the vast panorama of Christmas folklore, the preservation of our traditions. Little children, transformed into biblical characters celebrating the birth of the Messiah, are a very important reminder of the eternal in the troubled present. In a human body, the son of God is not only a new milestone in a thousand-year history, it is the return of primordial good and victory over evil. This is the Victory that our armed forces are now winning for Ukraine and the world,” Volodymyr Khanas, head of the Department of Culture and Tourism Development, commented on the purpose of the festival.
In addition to the creative one, the festival also pursued a charitable goal – during the entire event, the collection of funds for the needs of the Ukrainian army continued. The participants of the festival also joined the “Christmas Birds” charity campaign, within which the collection for drones for the 80th separate airborne assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is ongoing.
In addition, this year’s festival was organized by the Commission for Youth Affairs of the Sambir-Drogobyt Diocese and the Department of Culture and Tourism Development of the DMR.
Photo of the Sambir-Drohobytsk Diocese of the UGCC