On 18 December 2019 the traditional Christmas meeting of the academic community took place at the Jagiellonian University. The participants included authorities of the Jagiellonian University and other higher education institutions from Kraków, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of institutions of art and culture, as well as clergy of various denominations, including the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kraków Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz.
Wishing everybody merry Christmas, the Rector of the Jagiellonian University Prof. Wojciech Nowak pointed to the Polish tradition of leaving an empty place for an unexpected guest at the Christmas Eve dinner table, stressing that it perfectly reflects the spirit of Christmas, the essence of which is empathy and kindness towards other people. In this context, the Rector quoted the famous Polish journalist and writer Ryszard Kapuściński: “to know ourselves we have to know others, who act as the mirror in which we see ourselves.”
Traditionally, the event featured singing of Christmas carols with the JU Song and Dance Ensemble “Słowianki”. The ceremony was accompanied by an illumination of Collegium Novum building, consisting of picturesque seasonal motifs.
