Today, at 16.30 bells will be tolled all over the Carpathian Basin in remembrance for the moment, when exactly hundred years ago, Hungarian politicians signed the Trianon Treaty, which meant the country lost two-thirds of its territory with more than three million Hungarians.
This follows and remembers the events from hundred years ago, when bells were ringing in protest, remembrance, and to call attention, at places doing so during the whole day, elsewhere in and around the singing ceremony.
It was first the Federation of Christian Intellectuals (KÉSZ) who back in February came up with the idea, recommended and then called up parishes and congregations regardless of creed to toll the bells for 100 seconds at 16.30 on June 4. Later in May, the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference also joined in the initiative.
Bells in Budapest’s St. Stephen’s Basilica. Image by Zsolt Szigetváry/MTI
Most recently on this Tuesday, government commissioner for social affairs, former minister of human capacities, who is also a priest of the Reformed Church Zoltán Balog joined in the call.
A KÉSZ presidency member then revealed, that around 15,000 bells are estimated to be ringing at the same time all over the Carpathian Basin.
In addition, at the same minute, the capital’s public transport will also be stopped for one minute thanks to the initiative of Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony. This, too, follows the trend of 1920, when, at the time of the signing ceremony, traffic in Hungary stopped for 10 minutes.
featured image via Zsolt Szigetváry/MTI