By Ricky, on February 3rd, 2013
Gordon addresses the haggis © Ricky Yates
25th January is the birthday of the famous Scottish poet Robbie Burns (1759-1796). There is a long-standing tradition of holding a ‘Burn’s Night Supper on or around 25th January each year at which the life and poetry of Robbie Burns is celebrated. Brilliantly organised by my Church Treasurer, Gordon MacDonald Truefitt, St. Clement’s Church held a Burn’s Night Supper on the evening of Friday 25th January 2013 and combined it with a Ceilidh, at which various Scottish and Irish dances were taught and danced.
The evening was designed with two purposes in mind, both of which are somewhat inter-related. One was to try and put on a social event which would enable the disparate members of the congregation to spend time together and therefore get to know each other better. The second, was to provide an event . . . → Read More: Burn’s Night Supper and Ceilidh
By Ricky, on January 28th, 2013
Our Lady before the Tyn Church, Prague © Ricky Yates
Today I had yet another Kafkaesque experience.
Ever since coming to live and work in the Czech Republic, I have been driving my car here on the basis of holding a valid UK Driving Licence. I had been told previously that, if I was here for longer than six months, I should really exchange it for a Czech Driving Licence. I have had the completed form & new photograph to do so for some time, but have never got around to doing anything further about it. After all, my UK Driving Licence declares that I live at The Rectory in my former group of parishes in North Oxfordshire, which is the address the Czech Foreign Police firmly believe to be my permanent address because they insist that every foreigner living here, must have . . . → Read More: My latest run-in with Czech bureaucracy
By Ricky, on January 21st, 2013
Karel Schwarzenberg election poster on the bar at Restaurace U Topolu © Ricky Yates
On Friday and Saturday of this coming week, the Czech electorate will vote in the second and final round of voting to choose their new President. The first round, in which there were nine candidates, took place on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th January. Because no candidate got over 50% of the vote in that first round, the top two candidates are involved in a run-off in the second round.
The winner will replace the current President Václav Klaus, whose second five-year term of office expires in March. This is the first time that the Czech President has been directly elected by the people. Previously, the appointment was made by a joint vote of the two houses of the Czech parliament – the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Whilst the . . . → Read More: The Czech Presidential Election
By Ricky, on January 7th, 2013
Three teenagers we met walking home from Church on Epiphany Sunday, dressed as Melchior, Balthazar and Kasper © Ricky Yates
Yesterday – 6th January, was the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrating the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1-12. The word ‘epiphany’ means ‘manifestation’ or ‘showing forth’ and is used because Jesus is ‘made manifest’ to the wise men, representing the gentiles. Whilst the Church of England allows for Epiphany to be celebrated on the nearest Sunday to 6th January, it was good yesterday, to able to celebrate the festival on the correct day because in 2013, the first Sunday of the new year was Sunday 6th January.
I note with interest, that celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany on the correct date each year, is not a problem in any neighbouring . . . → Read More: Epiphany
By Ricky, on December 30th, 2012
Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus in Námestí miru, Prague © Ricky Yates
Much as I dislike Christmas being brought forward into the Advent season, working with two expatriate congregations here in the Czech Republic means this inevitably has to happen. So many of our regular worshippers are absent at Christmas because they travel back to their respective home countries in order to spend the holiday season with their family and friends. But before setting off on their travels, many want to be able to participate in the Anglican tradition of a ‘Service of Lessons & Carols’, either in Prague or Brno.
Since commencing regular monthly services in Brno at the beginning of 2012, we have consistently held them on the second Sunday evening of each month. So it seemed right to make the service due on Sunday 9th December, a ‘Service of Lessons & . . . → Read More: Christmas in Prague & Brno 2012
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