In our recurring Week in the life of the Hungarian Communities in the Carpathian Basin series, we’ll be looking back at recent events and exploring the Petőfi Sándor Program’s many success stories.
Hungarian Scout organizations held a new constitution assembly
A great event took place last weekend at the Vojvodina Hungarian Scout Association: a new constitution assembly was held on 23 February in Muzslya.
The assembly was held at Muzslya (Mužlja) in Serbia with the participation of team leaders, four district leaders, presidency members and active scout leaders. The event’s topics included Activity statements, Professional Reports, Annual Program Plans, management training, Jubilee, Honors, Awards, Strategic Plans, New Assistant Officers and Officer Qualification. Ferenc Gabona has been named the new President of the Association, Zsuzsanna Farkas the new Vice President and Dániel Magyar the new Movement Leader.
Hungarian Pig Slaughter in Prague
The majority of the Hungarians living in Prague are originally from Slovakia. Therefore, the Association of Hungarians in the Czech Republic has worked diligently to present them with Slovakian Hungarian Literature. For that reason, László Soóky’s monodrama “The Exact Description of Killing a Pig” was chosen to open the 2019 program.
The audience of 50 people waited with bated breath throughout the story. Perhaps one of the most touching moments was when the spectators joined the artist in an improvisational sing-along to “Going to the Doberdo battlefield.”
The organizers ended the afternoon with a meal of authentic Hungarian pork, sausage, bacon and fine wine.
Hungarian-Polish Farsang in Skopje
On Saturday, February 16, the Info Center in Skopje was packed with children in celebration of Farsang. The Macedóniai Magyarok Teleház Szervezete (Hungarians Association in Macedonia) held the event to give local Hungarians a chance to observe the holiday.
After presenting the costumes, Ákos Vázsonyi, the Petőfi program’s local representative, led a dance event joined by both children and adults. Afterward, the participants enjoyed snacking on the various sweet treats available.
The event was unique because it was organized in part by members of the Polish community in Skopje.
Folk music education in Pusztina
The Lajta-Love Association organized a folk music course in the Moldavian Csángó settlement in Pusztina from February 3-6. The association was founded by scholars who previously participated in the Petőfi Sándor Program.
Its aim is to strengthen national solidarity and identity by presenting and promoting traditional folk culture. The two-year-old association has conducted folk music education and organized folk art camps and dance houses in several cross-border sprawl areas.
On Monday, February 25, the association hosted a book presentation at the Gaudeamus House in Segesvár. Participants discussed the books and literary background of Péter Demény, a poet living in Cluj-Napoca.
Scout anniversary celebrated with a musical
On February 9, the center of Miskolc was bursting with the sounds of scouts. Hundreds of scouts traveled from Transcarpathia to see the Jungle Book Musical. In addition to the performance, there were sightseeing tours, scout games and plenty of opportunities to dance available to those who participated in the fun.
The Nagyboldogasszony scout team from Budapest recently celebrated its 148th anniversary. In honor of the event, The Jungle Book seemed like a fitting choice as Lord Baden-Powell, the scout founder, was a close friend of Rudyard Kipling’s. Not to mention, what scout wouldn’t dream of venturing off into Mowgli’s world for a day?
Images via Petőfi Program