Local services
On the third Sunday of Advent, a joint candle lighting took place in the Reformed Church of Debrecen on the 15th of December 2024. The program started in front of the Old Town Hall, from where the participants were led by traditional groups to the church.
The Municipality of Debrecen County was represented by Deputy Mayor Diána Széles at the intimate event organized to mark the lighting of the flame of joy. Sharing her festive thoughts with the gathered, she asked, among other things, whether we, as people of our time, can experience the spirit of Advent in the same way that our ancestors did. She recalled the era of her grandparents and great-grandparents when she talked about how for them, winter meant a break between major tasks and an opportunity to pay attention to each other.
Our days are characterised by the exact opposite, Advent is a time of a dense series of noisy events before Christmas, a flood of information that seems festive, and the buying of gifts. “But is this good for us?” the Deputy Mayor asked. “Are we really preparing for Christmas with these things?” Advent should be filled with quietness and cleansing of our souls so that we can truly focus on each other during the holiday, be together with our family members, tune in to each other, and connect with each other in spirit because spiritual connection is the true manifestation of love. And that’s when the joy of Christmas can truly come to us. Diána Széles believes that during Advent we must be able to give up things that we only think of as mandatory things that belong to Christmas, that serve to achieve the “perfect” holiday, the perfect festive table. We must be able to “let go” of them. It is much more important to pay attention to our loved ones and others, and according to the Deputy Mayor, this is achieved in Debrecen. “Debrecen is a caring city, where people and communities who care about each other can create fantastic things together, and one example of this is the Advent Garden of Souls next to the Great Church. Our communities are able to comfort, give hope, joy, and love. These communities sustain us; they sustain this city,” Diána Széles concluded.
During the celebration, the pastor of the Debrecen-Nagytemplom Reformed Church Parish, András Beszterczey, and the pastor of the Debrecen Baptist Church, Sándor Komlósi, also gave their Advent messages, and then, together with Diána Széles, they lit the third candle of the Advent wreath.
The Debrecen Garrison Orchestra, members of the Kuckó Művésztanya (an art association based in Debrecen), the Debrecen Folk Ensemble, the Hajdú Dance Ensemble, the dancers of the Hortobágy Folk Dance Ensemble, the students of Debrecen Ady Endre High School, the choir of Debrecen Baptist Church, the orchestra of Debrecen Reformed Church, and actress of Csokonai National Theatre in Debrecen, Zsuzsa Lehőcz, also participated. The charity reception following the event in the Advent Garden of the Soul was organised by the teachers and students of the institutions of the Debrecen Vocational Training Center, the Irinyi János Technical School, and the Trade and Hospitality Technical and Vocational School, as well as the students of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management of the University of Debrecen and the members of the Baptist Charity Service.
Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu
