For children and young people

Organizers also prepared a number of projects for children and youth, whose aim is to entertain children and educate in an entertaining way and in the tradition of Cyril and Methodius.

The Way of the Two Brothers

The Way of the Two Brothers is a name of a traditional art contest for children from 3 to 11 years of age. It has been announced within the Velehrad Days of the People of Goodwill since 2006, and the main goal is to expound the roots of our culture to children and to give them a positive example for their life in the present. This eighth year will be special because the contest will go even beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.

Czech children can apply in four categories - the first, second and third grades of primary schools, the 4th and 5th grades of primary schools, kindergartens and music schools. For children from abroad only one category is announced - primary schools. The submitted works will be evaluated by an expert jury with Adolf Born, the artist, in the lead. Winning pictures will be displayed in the premises of Stojan's grammar school at Velehrad, where an exhibition opening will take place in the presence of esteemed guests on 4th July 2013. The contest is inspired by the adventurous journey of the brothers, Cyril and Methodius, which indelibly entered into the culture of our nation. However, it can also inspire our present life and thus remind us of the riches of our ancestors which we keep preserving.

There are no limits to fantasy but the artifacts have to have the A3 format and address the basic theme of the respective category. That relates to the lives of the Slavonic missionaries, Cyril and Methodius. Children aged 3 to 11 can send their works of art by 31st May 2013 to the address of Stojan's grammar school at Velehrad. The envelope has to be marked with an incription CESTOU DVOU BRATŘÍ (The Way of the Two Brothers). You will be able to find a list of themes, rules and further information about the contest at the website www.velehrad.eu soon.

Saints Cyril and Methodius Pelmanism Matching Game

The Bishopric of Brno issued a pelmanism matching game to the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Constantine and Methodius to Great Moravia. Thanks to this game children an adults can commemorate some events connected with the lives of the Solun brothers and their legacy for the present.

The pelmanism matching game consists of 24 pairs of pictures, the authoress of which is Iva Fukalová. A box for storing the pelmanism cards is part of the game. The price of the game is CZK 20. You can buy it or order it in the Diocesan Catechetical Center in Brno, Petrov 5, Phone 533 033 227, E-mail: kc.brno@biskupstvi.cz.

PC adventure game Veligrad Fos-Zoe-Nika

Visualisation and 3D modelling has slowly but surely penetrated even such a traditional science as archaeology. Thus, reconstruction of archaeological situations is becoming a supplement to a number of articles and publications. However, the Museum of Moravian Slovakia has decided to go even further.

In cooperation with the Zlín based studio e:motion, the Museum of Moravian Slovakia created a unique project. By means of 3D graphics, it let one of the most significant archaeological localities in our territory, the church premises in Uherské Hradište – Sady, come back to life on computer screens. Thus, the area of 'Sadska výšina' heights is becoming a background for a story from the times of Constantine and Methodius, from the period of Great Moravia.

Veligrad Fos-Zoe-Nika goes back to the roots of classic adventures but it is dressed in a new, modern attire. The whole game is created in Unity 3D game engine, which offers a superb visual experience. The player puts himself into the place of a female student of archaeology, Sára, and a monk named Naum. Sára's task, like a task of every good scientist, is to collect facts related to the archaeological locality Uherské Hradiště – Sady "Špitálky". Her research brings her not only to the locality itself but also to the Monument of Great Moravia in Staré Město or to the preservation division at the Museum of Moravian Slovakia. At the same time, as she manages to proceed with her scientific research, a story of monk Naum takes place at the heights of Sadska výšina. Through his eyes we can see the gradually growing territory and, along with him, we experience also important historical milestones of the Great Moravian Empire, like the arrival of the missionaries and Slavomír's uprising.

In an engaging way, the player has a chance to create an idea regarding the look of the church premises in Uherské Hradište – Sady, the lives of our ancestors in the 9th century, work of an archaeologist or preservers. The environment of the game is created by means of an effective 3D engine, which mediates a realistic gaming experience. Buildings and historical connections correspond to the uncovered archaeological situations and written sources in a maximum extent possible.

Following Cyril and Methodius with a GPS device in hand

Even though it seems that the Slavonic missionaries and the modern GPS navigation cannot have anything in common, a new project called CM-caching will convince you of the opposite.

It is a tourist game based on the principle of geocaching. Small plastic boxes are hidden at places in a way connected with the Cyrillo-Methodian tradition. Their GPS coordinates are available at www.cm-caching.cz and the task for the player is to find those boxes using the satellite signal. A Czech word for a cache is "skrýš", so the name of the game suggests that the players are searching for Cyrillo-Methodian "skrýše".

The boxes contain little cards with a quotation from the Bible, a code and an interesting question related to Cyril and Methodius. The person who will find the cache will learn the answer to the question when he or she enters the code on the website.

Children compete in Great moravian adventure

Within the celebrations of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Moravia the Brno Bishopric announces a knowledge contest for schoolchildren (from 3rd to 9th grade, elementary schools). The project is called the Great Moravian Adventure. Its aim is to familiarize children with the lives and legacy of the brothers from Solun, to remind them of the foundations of our faith, culture and education and to develop values which are fruits of the Cyrillo-Methodian mission. The organization of the project, which will take place in three stages and will be focused on three age categories, is provided by the Diocesan Catechetical Center. Parishes belonging to the diocese of Brno may participate in the contest. It will be open on 1st February 2013 and it will last till June 2013.

Game about Cyril and Methodius

The Center for Catechesis in Olomouc is issuing a board game for children from 9 years of age called "In the Footsteps of Saints Cyril and Methodius". This social game is to familiarize players with some of the stages in the lives of Saints Cyril and Methodius. It belongs to a set of materials prepared in connection with the upcoming 1150th anniversary of the arrival of these missionaries to Great Moravia.

The new game for 2 to 6 players was prepared in cooperation with the children's magazine Nezbeda. It begins at the starting point called "Solun" - the birthplace of the brothers, and the goal is to reach the last point in the form of the Kingdom of God. Along the way players have to go through ten stands covering various events from the lives of Saints Cyril and Methodius and to get all ten cards symbolizing these milestones. The game is played with little men and a dice and its length is 60-90 minutes. It will be appreciated by parents of schoolchildren as well as teachers of religious education and animators of groups of children.

Velehrad to Children

Every year, the July Days of the People of Goodwill have a rich program for the youngest visitors as well. This year, the traditional program for children bears a subtitle "With Cyril and Methodius Seriously Non-Seriously". And as the title suggests, it will be related to the missionaries, from whose arrival to Great Moravia 1150 years will have passed this year.

A festive opening of Velehrad to Children will take place at the B stage next to the basilica on Thursday 4th July at 2 p.m. After that, a group called Vere Gratia will come and perform Renaissance dances and thus evoke atmosphere of periods long time past. Brass musicians will play. Which instruments? The title of their performance sugggests it - I trumpet, you trumpet, we trumpet. Children and fairy-tales go together and the program at Velehrad will not miss one either. Tramtárie theater from Olomouc is rehearsing a cheerful fairy-tale titled "About a Little Caveman" for the celebrations at Velehrad.

"Due to the important anniversary which falls into this year, we have prepared a thematic competition for children called Messengers from Solun. It will familiarize children with the story of Saint Cyril and Methodius. Moreover, for all those taking part in the competition, valuable awards are prepared," said project manager Luboš Nágl.

A photography contest intended for two age categories is also part of the program for children. The first one for children up to 12 years of age; the other one for children between their 13th and 15th year of age. Organizers will lend compact digital cameras to participants of the contest. The period of lending will be limited to one hour. Results will be announced on the neighboring stage at 5:15 p.m. Contestants can look forward to valuable awards.

More detailed information about the program of the Days of the People of Goodwill - Velehrad 2013 here.