The First Sunday of Advent and the lighting of the Christmas tree
The castle hill is a magical place where angels flock, especially during Advent. They make their home in the Piarist church, where they guide visitors through the story of Jesus and guard dozens of nativity scenes at Christmas, as well as the programme of Angel Sundays of Advent. This year, it will again be full of concerts, fairy tales, lights, bonfires and gourmet specialties.
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony with Angel Video Mapping and the band Timothy
The Christmas tree, which will be lit on the first Sunday of Advent on 28 November at 5 p.m., will once again decorate the area between the Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross, the regional museum and the castle grounds. We hope that this year we will all be able to share the magic of the first lighting together. We are preparing performances by the children's choirs Kvítek and Lilium, a spiritual word and concerts. The excitement before the actual lighting of the tree will be heightened by an angelic video mapping of the centre of all the angelic Advent action, the Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross. We will return to the mapping from 2016, which not only perfectly evoked the atmosphere of the coming Christmas, but also underlined the exceptional quality of the architecture of the temple. We do not want to deprive you of the pre-Christmas concert either. And since Christmas is a Christian holiday and Advent a time of waiting for the birth of Jesus, we have invited the popular Slovak worship band Timothy. Timothy literally means "those who praise God." We believe that each of us has something to give thanks and praise for. On the first Sunday of Advent there will be an opportunity to do so at 4:00 pm on the castle hill. The second part of the concert will begin right after the lighting of the Christmas tree - we hope you will stay with us for a few moments after this festive event.
What to look forward to during the Angel Advent Sundays?
The centre of all the angelic events is the Piarist Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross. Here again there will be a large exhibition of nativity scenes, a festive word every Sunday, special light installations, as well as tours - for example of the Purgatory Chapel or the bells. Guided tours of the town start from the church ticket office, you can buy a ticket to the Angel's Lookout and the Angels on the Hill exhibition. A gourmet market and concerts on the angel stage start in front of the church every Sunday at 1 pm. We will welcome, for example, David Kraus and his band, Michal Horák, Svitavy Ukulele Ensemble, Parking for Camels and The Cousins. Children can look forward to fairy tales in the New Town Hall, Christmas creations for parents with children in the castle information centre, Angel's Wanderings, a winter children's playroom in the museum and live animals. On the first angel weekend you can visit the riding hall for a large RC model car exhibition. On the second Angel Weekend, the Castle Cellar will once again be in the power of hell. The very popular sales exhibition of Czech Christmas decorations also returns to the Chateau Cellar. On all four Angel Weekends you can also visit from 10 am to 2 pm for special tours called Christmas at Litomyšl Castle. If you are wondering how Christmas was celebrated in aristocratic circles, or if aristocrats also thought of their servants, then these tours are the right ones for you. And since the castle was visited by Emperor Franz Joseph I himself, you will also be transported to the Imperial Christmas Court. Another new feature we are preparing for you is the Angel Gift Shop. We will invite vendors to the halls of the castle brewery to make it easier for you to think of and purchase Christmas gifts for your loved ones. At this point we can already reveal that on the second Sunday of Advent there will be a Flér kreativ and on the third Sunday of Advent a Christmas Mint market. Vendors who also make what they sell. For the full programme of the Angel Advent Sundays, visit the website andelskalitomysl.cz or the December issue of Lilie. We are also preparing a programme leaflet and posters. We also have Facebook and Instagram, so write, comment, take photos, share and enjoy the preparations for Christmas without nerves!
Ing. Michaela Severová, Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Litomyšl Municipality
