Secret service agents, state officials fulfilling orders, full-time challengers are trying to intimidate Hungarians and provoke them into things that the power in Bucharest can refer to when acting. Mno.hu presents some of them.

Romanian journalist Dan Tanasa happily announced on February 6 that his professional Facebook page received 10 thousand likes. Four days earlier he wrote that his blog was visited by 372 thousand people last year. The Romanian internet analyzing service says that he is one of the most popular authors in Romania.

Ethnic cleansing

Who is this 34-year-old man who brought dozens of Hungarian local governments in Szeklerland to the court? According to people who know his family, he is the son of simple Romanian workers. He was born in Sepsiszentgyörgy, Szeklerland, he went to school there, he graduated at the Transilvania University of Brasov, the Faculty of Education and Psychology, and he earned a master’s degree of communication and PR in 2011.

During the national-communist dictatorship a truly distorted picture was developed of Hungarians. They were told to be an alien and hostile population recently settled in the Romanian land with excessive and unjustified claims. They were told to be following hidden aims always moving against Romanians, mno.hu reported.

Dan Tanasa, by his own confession, has been writing since 2008 on the “massive abuses of local governments controlled by RMDSZ and the Hungarian Civic Party” that are committed against the Romanian residents of Hargita and Kovászna county. He also writes accusations to stop “ethnic cleansing” to which the Romanians are exposed. Sepsiszentgyörgy mayor, Árpád Antal, said that they have one or two people who always have to deal with the answering of Dan Tanasa’s questions. Fomer Social Democrat Senator, current mayor of Craiova, Lia Olguta Vasilescu said: “if Dan Tanasa did not exist, we would have to have invented him”.

He reports in the name of the Civil Association for the Pride in Europe (ADEC), which is chaired by the blogger. The other three founders cannot be found on the social sites. The association has objectives, like the promotion of the Romanian nation-state, the protection of fundamental human rights, at least in the exclusive cases of the Romanian-speaking Romanian citizens.

Agent or messenger?

Mno.hu asked several people, including colleagues, about the Dan Tanasa phenomenon in Transylvania. Most people only talk anonymously, because they are afraid that the notorious blogger would harass them and immediately cite them to the court. Almost everyone thinks that he has relations with the secret services. He spent years in Spain and now he lives in Germany, so he is likely to work for the Romanian foreign intelligence. Otherwise, he could not have been informed about the fact that the mayor of a small Székely Land settlement put up the Székely flag. The blogger reported that with photos within days.

László Szőke, Transylvanian journalist, wrote on szekelyhon.ro that Tanasa gets a lot of awards. Voiculescu Family Foundation awarded him a 3 and a half million HUF (11,290 EUR) for his courage with which he protects the Romanians of Hargita-Kovászna counties. Voiculescu himself was sentenced to 10 years by the national anticorruption prosecutor’s office (DNA). Mno.hu knows that the blogger already received a scholarship from the foundation during his university studies. He is also a frequent guest at Antena 3 TV that is owned by Voiculescu.

Mno.hu asked Dan Tanasa about his reports, complaints and observations, but he has not responded so far.

Relationship network, or the network is alive and well

If you search through the Facebook profiles of some people it becomes revealed that Dan Tanasa is in a daily contact with former and current Romanian Prefects of Hungarian-populated counties, with Székelyföld Romanian Orthodox bishop Ioan Selejan and with various organizations of Székelyföld Romanians.

While he wins several lawsuits sometimes he also takes a knock. In 2014, he complained about the Nyírő József commemorative ceremony, because he believes that the organization popularized Fascist, anti-Romanian and anti-Semitic views. The Gyegyószentmiklós prosecution rejected it.

State employee Mircea Diacon – who was sent to Háromszék – is the enthusiastic supporter of the blogger. He is the head of the Kovászna County Consumer Protection Office and he strikes down on every perceived or real illegitimacy, mno.hu said.

Székely flavor

Diacon has led the office since 2013. When he punished the Háromszék butchery for the use of the phrase “Székely flavor” he explained it by how there is no such thing as a “Székely flavor”. However, he did not respond to the question asked about the phrase “traditional Romanian flavors” which can be found in several Romanian stores.

According to mno.hu, his zeal becomes tragicomic at times: since he insists on the Romanian labeling for every product, he made the name Rigó Jancsi sweets of Rigó Jancsi pastry shop change into “Mierla Ionica” with the Hungarian name below.

Photo: MTI Copy editor:

bm Source: mno.hu / dailynewshungary.com

Reklám

The szabadonebredok.com is collected 9 interesting things about the Hungarian language:

1. Did you know that one of the earliest remaining fragments of the Hungarian language was found in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland? Yarmouth County Museum in Nova Scotia keeps a unique artifact – Runic Stone, which proves that at least one Hungarian was in America before Columbus. Tyrkir, who accompanied Vikings on the voyage of the great discoveries around the year 1000, was Hungarian. Samuel Laing has first disclosed this information about Tyrkir back in 1844, in London. Tyrkir carved in stone a 13-character inscription. Many theories and centuries later linguists denied the Norse Rune theory. The text on the stone was not written with a Runic alphabet, but in the Old Hungarian. In 1984 Szilva Lajosné has translated the infamous inscription – Ericson járt e hejen is sok társával.

2. Did you know that one of the most valuable incunabulum in the Library of the British Museum in London has a following opening sentence –“Az Ephesom helyeknek yrth Zent Pál levelének elsew capitoliuma”. The text, which is written in Hungarian, is a part of the book that was published in 1533.

3. Did you know that a group of linguists from the Department of Linguistics and Phonetics of Sorbonne University decided to conduct an antiquity exam of the several languages? With a help of modern technologies and necessary tools scientists decided to establish which languages has preserved the most ancient elements of literacy and has the most etymons (the linguistic form from which another form is historically derived). According to the results: modern English contains 4% of etymons, Latin 5%, Hebrew 5%, the Pacific languages 7%, Indian languages 9%, Tibetan Sanskrit 12%, ancient Turkish and Turkmen 26%; however the language that contains the most of etymons is modern Hungarian – 68%!

4. Did you know that linguists put a huge emphasis on the question of antiquity of modern languages? They conduct scientific research analyzing ancient ancestors and range of evidences from the tests. The Hungarian linguists, historians, professors have been working on that matter for over than 200 years. Everyone from Kerestesi József, Horváth István, Kőrösi Csoma Sándor, Táncsis Mihály, Varga Zsigmond, Pass László and many other inspiring Hungarian professionals have shown impressive dedication in conducting the antiquity examinations of the Euroasiatic languages. KeményFerenc is a linguist (he understands 40 languages and speaks 15) claims that the oldest of the Euroasiatic languages is the Hungarian language.

5. Did you know that Hungarian family names have been used as the geographical names in many places all over the world? Dr. Vámos- TóthBátor, who lives on Hawaii Islands, and his colleagues have done a great job collecting examples of the Hungarian names and words used in the countries on all across the globe. They have established that over 6000 locations have Hungarian names. There are many examples of the Hungarian names given to geographic locations, cities, smaller towns, rivers, and hills in India, Iraq, Malta, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Philippines, and Caucasus region, alongside Udmurtia. The most common names are: Almás, Káldi, Kocsis, and Vajas.

6. Did you know that Sir John Bowring, who was an English political economist, traveller, polyglot and a 4th Governor of Hong Kong, spoke fluent Hungarian? He translated many Hungarian poems into English -the book title was “Poetry of Magyar”. As a foreword of the book he wrote the following :” The Magyar language stands afar off and alone. The study of other tongues will be found of exceedingly little use towards its right understanding. It is molded in a form essentially its own, and its construction and composition may be safely referred to an epoch when most of the living tongues of Europe either had no existence, or no influence on the Hungarian region.”

7. Did you know that the Hungarian language is one of a kind in term of Effects of Compression on language? There is no denial about this language being a truly unique linguistic phenomenon. The Hungarian language is very rich, and has absolutely unique phonetics of the consonants. Alongside 19 noun cases, numerous suffixes, prefixes, and verb conjugation.

8. Did you know that in the Western countries alphabet usually contains around 7 vowels? For example, in Italy there are only 5.Whereas the Hungarian language recognizes and uses 14 vowels: a-á, e-é, i-I, o-ó, ö-ő, u-ú, ü-ű.

9. Did you know that in the list of the most melodic languages first comes the Italian language, followed by the Greek and the third most melodic language is the Hungarian? Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who was an Italian cardinal and famous linguist and hyper polyglot (he could write in 58 languages and could speak 103 languages), once said to the Czech linguist, Ludwig August Frankl: “Do you know which language is equal to Latin and Greek in its structure and rhythmic harmony? It is the Hungarian language. I am familiar with the new Hungarian poets, whose verses are completely mesmerizing. Let us watch the future, for the poetic genius will have a sudden upswing, which will prove my statement to be true. It seem as if the Hungarians themselves do not realize what a treasure is hidden in their language.”

based on article of szabadonebredok.hu

translated by Ekaterina

Egorova Photo: szabadonebredok.hu

Source: www.szabadonebredok.hu

Reklám

Today, Rocket Internet-backed startup NestPick released a list of the top six European cities to start a startup.

NestPick provides Airbnb-like functionality for international students looking for medium- and long-term accommodations. Their top six picks are based on their experience in various cities plus research into the political, cultural, and economic factors affecting the local startup scenes. Let’s take a look at the top 6 European cities for startups:

1. Berlin, Germany

Population: 3.5 million

On AngelList: 848 Berlin startups, 5,392 Berlin angel investors

Berlin Startup Success stories: SoundCloud, Wooga, Zalando

A McKinsey report quoted by NestPick estimates that Berlin startups will create over 100,000 jobs by 2020.

2. Budapest, Hungary

Population: 1.73 million

On AngelList: 168 Budapest startups, 4,646 Budapest angel investors

Success stories: Prezi, Ustream, LogMeIn

“The majority of young Hungarians have a high educational level, the Internet is exceptionally fast all throughout the city, and there are initiatives that offer venture capital from the European Investment Fund to finance innovative startups,” says NestPick.

3. London, UK

Population: 8.31 million

On AngelList: 4,112 London startups, 7,143 London angel investors

London Startup Success stories: Mind Candy, Hailo, Shazam

The UK government has invested £50 million to help the London startup scene thrive (and compete with its rival, Berlin).

4. Barcelona, Spain

Population: 1.62 million

On AngelList: 404 Barcelona startups, 4,985 Barcelona angel investors

Barcelona Startup Success stories: Catchoon, Social & Beyond, Omnidrone (via Wired)

“The Spanish government improved entrepreneurial conditions in terms of tax breaks and funding programs, and will stick to those adjustments in the following years [after the economic crisis],” says NestPick.

5. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Population: 780,000

On AngelList: 500 Amsterdam startups, 4,935 Amsterdam angel investors

Amsterdam Startup Success stories: Human, The Clockroom, Ace & Tate (via Wired)

According to NestPick, Amsterdam is ranked as the most creative global city and has an entrepreneurship rate that’s 6% higher than the European average.

6. Tallinn, Estonia

Population: 400,000

On AngelList: 151 Tallinn startups, 4,674 Tallinn angel investors

Estonia Startup Success stories: GrabCad, Erply, Pipedrive (via Wired)

The Wall Street Journal says that “Estonia is the 132nd smallest country in the world by land mass yet it produces more startups per head of population than any other country in Europe.”

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Source: tech.co

Reklám

To the Editor:

Re “Hungary’s Angry Stance on Migrants, Once Vilified, Gains Some Acceptance” (news article, Dec. 21):

Brussels and Budapest do not differ only on the migrant issue. They have a different view of the future of Europe itself.

The Hungarians want a federation of independent nations, a federation that respects the different identities, cultures and traditions of the member states.

The Hungarians, the Poles and the other Central and Eastern Europeans also want to re-establish the power balance of Europe. But the unelected bureaucrats in Brussels are defending the status quo and their goal of a “multicultural” and Western-dominated Europe.

It is time to let the Europeans decide their own future. It is time to hold direct elections to resolve this conflict.

BÉLA LIPTÁK
Stamford, Conn.

Reklám

Since three days the public opinion of the country is focused on the announcement made by the authorities, stating that on the National Day they have prevented a terrorist attack and arrested the man who planned it. According to the accusation he planned to produce a hand made bomb from fireworks that are available in stores for public use and to fire it in the center of Kézdivásárhely/Tg-Secuiesc.

Knowing that in fact the man was retained a day earlier, it is possible that this is not about the prevention of a real danger, but a manipulation of the authorities, but whatever the truth is, some things have to be pointed out.

Logically there are two possibilities, and both of them are worth to be examined.

The first is that the young man who was arrested really planned to fire a bomb. In this case must be taken in consideration that despite the fact that Romania became member of the Council of Europe and the European Union, ratified a number of documents related to the rights of minorities, in the last years, with the active contribution of the authorities, it is visible the increasing of the anti-minority sentiments. The authorities chase the Szekler symbols and the Hungarian inscriptions, withdraw existing rights, declare that the autonomy movement of the Szeklers is a security risk, and the secret services assume openly that they are acting for preventing Szeklerland to gain autonomy. Based on these, the Romanian population considers the Szekler people dangerous and enemy of the country. The Szekler National Council drew the attention of the domestic and international decision-makers on the risks of these actions, but neither this, nor his calls for dialogue were taken in consideration. If the young man from Kézdivásárhely/Tg-Secuiesc was really planning to fire a bomb, two of the main reasons of that must be considered the way how the authorities are dealing with the Szekler issue and the indulgence of the international organizations. If Romania would respect her international commitments, than such things could not happen. We condemn all forms of violence, but we also state, that in this case the responsibility of the authorities who are permanently provoking the Szeklers is significant, and if they do not change their attitude, than the situation can even turn worse.

The other possibility is that the charge is false and we are facing a provocation of the authorities. This is at least equally serious problem, because playing with the fire in the actual European context is dangerous. We can state without exaggeration that this is also plausible, because the communication of the authorities, as well that of the politicians and other opinion leaders goes far beyond the facts in this case, they stigmatize the whole Szekler and Hungarian community and criminalize their legitimate claims. It is symptomatic that in front of the TV-cameras a well known politician, former minister affirmed, that this could happen just because the authorities were far too tolerant with the minorities. This is a clear call for collective punishment, irresponsible and dangerous.

Concluding we can state, that whichever of these two possibilities is true, it is without doubt that the Romanian authorities are on the wrong way, they are fueling permanently the interethnic tensions and that cannot lead to a good end. They have to change their attitude as son as possible and have to begin dialogue with the legitimate leaders of the Szekler people, in order to find a peaceful solution for the problem of Szeklerland, in accordance with the relevant international principles and documents.

A great responsibility falls also on the international organizations. It is time for them to face, that by not intervening, they encourage the Romanian authorities in their anti-minority acts and that can lead to undesired consequences. So we ask them to assume an active role in solving the problem of Szeklerland, according to their mission. In this sense we expect them to observe with special attention the case of the arrested young man, and to assure that the authorities will not commit any abuses against him.

https://supportszeklerland.hu/

Reklám

On 1st of December 1918 Romania officially declared its union with Transylvania (Erdély / Ardeal / Siebenbürgen), an ethnically mixed and culturally colourful Central European region, which previously had belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary for centuries. For Romanians, this day is a great national holiday and a good reason to celebrate, while for Hungarians it is one of the most tragic days in the nation’s history. In particular for the ethnic Hungarians of Transylvania, who were promised comprehensive minority and language rights 97 years ago, but still struggle for chances of self-governance and national autonomy.

In fact an assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians was held in the city of Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia) by the end of 1918, and it declared the union of Transylvania with Romania on this day in front a public event attended by tens of thousands of Romanians. In that period of time Hungary was sunk into deep political and social anarchy as the result of losing the First World War in alliance with imperial Austria and Germany. The new revolutionary Hungarian elites, who came to power in October 1918, were not able to prevent the Czech, Serbian and Romanian armies from occupying large parts of the collapsing country.

According to the last pre-war census, Transylvania had a population of 5,262,495 in 1910, of which 53.8% were Romanian, 31.6% Hungarian and 10,7% German (Saxon) with the dominance of the latter two in most of the larger towns and cities. The percentage of Romanian majority in Transylvania has significantly increased since it became part of the country, however, still about 20% of the Transylvanian inhabitants belong the the Hungarian minority, composing majority in the Szeklerland (Székelyföld) region and significant minority in other counties of Transylvania.

Since the day of 1st of December has remained a rather controversial issue between the two nations, public opinion shapers never let this day go away without making further comments every year. In conservative daily Magyar Nemzet Hungarian journalist Csaba Lukács  argues today that Romania’s national holiday is necessarily malevolent as it marks the tragedy of a neighbouring country.

“This is how things work in this corner of Europe”, says Lukács, adding that it is understandable why ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania are not willing to celebrate on this day, especially when Romanian extremists regularly set up provocations both in Hungary and in Hungarian-populated towns of Transylvania. It is hard to gain any sign of mutual respect until local Hungarians are treated as “scapegoats” for all the past, present and future problems of Romania, the Hungarian journalist insists.

Whatever Hungarians feel today, Romania’s national holiday meets with warm response in other parts of the world. US Secretary of State yesterday, sending his best wishes to Bucharest. “Nearly a century ago, a group of Romanian leaders came together to establish aunited, democratic state that promoted the equality and freedom of its citizens“, Kerry says without hesitation.

“Today, we honor those early visionaries and those who have followed in their footsteps, dedicating themselves to advancing the shared values of dignity and human rights around the world”, he added. We cannot know how familiar Mr Kerry is with Central Europe’s modern history, but if a tiny proportion of these “values” had had anything to do with reality in the last 97 years in Romania, both Hungarians and Romanians would have more reason to celebrate on this or any other day of the year.

source: rubicon.hu and mno.hu

Reklám

Unlike the fun parade that is American Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Soul’s Day in Hungary are holidays that address the dead in a rather different way.

Otherwise known as ‘Halottak Napja’ ‘the day of the dead’ or ‘the day of remembrance’, All Soul’s Day and All Saints’ Day are two of the more popular holidays in Hungary that people celebrate. It’s a sentimental kind of national holiday in Hungary that lasts two days, the 1st and 2nd of November after fall has taken hold and the winter is soon upon us. Unlike the fantastical representation of everything dark, sinister and frightening, like the American holiday of Halloween, death is nothing unusual here. Halloween is not celebrated in central Europe but All Saints’ Day and All Soul’s Day is, they are comparable but radically different. Instead of glorifying the world of the dead by dressing up in ghoulish apparel, the Hungarians first honor the dead saints and then go and visit the hallowed ground upon which their past family members have been laid to rest.

Hungarians don’t carve pumpkins into faces or ride around on brooms either. The word ‘Halloween’ derives from an old English phrase, ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ and is comparable in Hungary to Halloween only in so much as it involves food and wicks that flicker. All Saints’ Day and All Soul’s Day aren’t for dressing up in a costume or bobbing for apples either. All Saints’ Day was moved by Roman Catholic church leaders from March to November 1rst in the year 835 AD to divert attention from the pagan traditions of the Druid’s similar holiday—Samhain, the Celtic New Year when the spirits of the dead returned to converse with the spirits of the living. Hungarian culture does speak of a halottlátó or ‘death seer’ who generally is an elderly woman who can communicate with the souls of the recently departed and in this, All Soul’s Eve divines a little magic. As a Catholic nation since the 11th century, Hungary takes the holiday to heart as public establishments close for the purpose of allowing people to travel to churches for services and/or for families to visit grave sites. At the churches in Hungary, Catholics pray and hold to the conviction that through prayer and self-denial the faithful can hasten the deliverance of souls from purgatory and into heaven. The Catholic doctrine teaches that some Catholics still have a kind of purification process that they must undergo after dying before they reach heaven. The prayers of living Catholics are believed to lighten the way for those living in purgatory.

Unlike American children who go in search of candied treats from door to door for Halloween, Hungarians go to cemeteries with bright yellow chrysanthemums and light red votive candles to decorate the graves of their beloved departed. Some people even leave food and drinks for their prior loved ones. Special masses are held in many churches all over Hungary to uphold the memory of the Christian martyrs and saints. Sometimes a parish priest will say prayers and blessings at people’s gravesites. The night of All Soul’s Day is one of the biggest times for flower sellers, they line the entrances of the cemeteries making it easy to purchase flowers and candles burn brightly in the dark. If you don’t have anyone to visit at the cemeteries that you know personally visit famous cemeteries like Kerepesi Cemetery coined a ‘decorative’ cemetery that contains ancient wooden graves known as ‘kopfa’ that date back to the original Magyars, carved boats symbolizing the journey down the river of death. Kerepesi Cemetery is also the resting place of many influential Hungarian figures such as the revolutionary Lajos Kossuth, Count Lajos Batthany, Ferenc Deak, János Kádár, József Antall, Blaha Lujza and Jozsef Atilla. At the Farkasréti Cemetery, visitors can find the graves of Béla Bartok and Zoltán Kodaly. Of the saints remembered in Hungary, two of the more popular were once members of the Arpad house, the first dynasty of the Hungarian kings and include, St. Stephen King and his son, St. Imre Prince. Another honored saint was from Venice and his name was St. Gerardo. The Americans, on the other hand, instead of honoring saints or deceased relatives honor a world of their imagination, one of phantoms, and, oh yeah, of candy!

Reklám

A movement to free Hungary from Moscow’s influence ended in tragedy as Khrushchev’s patience gave in and the Red Army descended on Budapest.

The Cold War belied its name on this day in 1956 as Soviet tanks rolled into the Hungarian capital to crush “the forces of reactionary conspiracy”.

As the video above recalls, Moscow’s bloody “counter offensive” stamped out an uprising that sprang from student-led protests and grew into a popular revolt that saw Budapest’s pro-Soviet regime buckle and fall.

Keen to distance himself from the excesses of his predecessor Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had initially dismissed Hungarian temerity as an inert riposte to the process of “de-Stalinisation” that had ushered him into power.

He didn’t flinch at the elevation of reformist Imre Nagy to Prime Minister, even though the former premier had been dismissed from the Hungarian Working People’s Party for falling out with the Soviet Politburo. And he even agreed to withdraw Soviet troops from Budapest as its inhabitants began to cut the Communist coat of arms from the Hungarian flag.

The Kremlin’s apparent lassitude emboldened the rebellious Hungarians, as did overtures from US leaders which spoke of support for the “captive peoples” of eastern Europe.

With the wind of change at his back, Nagy sought the abolition of one-party rule and announced that Hungary was withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact.

Moscow finally responded. The Kremlin had heard enough. Khrushchev’s velvet glove fell away to reveal the iron fist of old.

Operation Whirlwind began in the wee hours of November 4, 1956. With the light of dawn still hours away, Soviet fighters began to bombard Budapest from the air as artillery units pounded the capital from the surrounding hills.

Nagy took to the airwaves at 4.20am local time as Soviet tanks began to rumble through the city. Speaking in English, he sought to “notify the people of our country and the entire world” of his country’s predicament.

His broadcast on Radio Budapest was followed by a repeated SOS signal which fell silent at 7.25am. When transmission resumed at 8.15pm it was in the hands of the Red Army. Hungary’s tilt at freedom had met its end.

Do you recall Hungary’s transient rise and fall? Share your memories in the Comments section below.

Source:home.bt.com

Reklám

Transylvania, the region in modern-day Romania that historically belonged to Hungary and remains home to an ethnic Hungarian community of some 1.5 million people, has been named the world’s top tourist destination for the year 2016 by Lonely Planet, the largest guide book publisher in the world. Within the region, Lonely Planet particularly recommends Saxon fortified churches, the Carpathians, spicy Szekler goulash and nightlife in Transylvania’s quasi-capital, the 320 000-inhabitant city of Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca in Romania).

Transylvania beat regions in countries including Iceland, Cuba, Italy and New Zealand in the world rankings, which reveal Transylvania as the best region in the world to travel in 2016 .

Beyond the famous Saxon fortified churches and vampire stories, a visit to Transylvania is made the experience of a lifetime by the picturesque historic towns of Brassó (Braşov), Segesvár (Sighişoara) and Nagyszeben (Sibiu). The guide also highlights the scenic landscapes, caves and ski resort of the of the Carpathians and the Hall of Mirrors of the Culture Palace in the city of Marosvásárhely (Târgu Mureş). The Hungarian-majority Szekler Land (also called Székely Land) region which isstruggling for its right to self-governance through autonomy within Romania, is mentioned under a separat heading (albeit misspelled as “Svékely Land”) for its traditional Hungarian goulash served “with an extra sprinkling of paprika”.

The top destination as a country for tourists is the African nation of Botswana, while Kotor in Montenegro came first among cities. Estonia was singled out as the country with the highest-standard tourist services. Hungary is also included on the listings, with the capital Budapest being named 2016′s “Best Moustache Destination” on a par with London, Mexico City and Istanbul, among others.

Transylvania formed part of the Kingdom of Hungary until the 1920 Trianon Peace Treaty and remains home to an ethnic Hungarian minority of some 1.5 million people. The region also has a place in the heart of Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, who maintains two estates in Transylvania, including one in the all-Hungarian village of Zalánpatak (Valea Zalanului).

Lonely Planet’s praise of Transylvania comes as the US travel magazine Condé Nast named the Hungarian capital Budapest the world’s second-best city in an online poll.

via hungarytoday.hu / mandiner.hu
photo: Alex Robciuc/boredpanda.com

Reklám

Washington, DC – On September 29, 2015, the Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition) hosted its eleventh annual Gala Dinner at the House of Sweden.  His Excellency János Áder, President of Hungary, was Honorary Chairman of the event.  This year’s honoree was J. Joe Adorjan, Honorary Consul General of Missouri and founder of the Hungarian-Missouri Educational Partnership (HMEP).

Coalition Vice President Andrea Lauer Rice welcomed the distinguished guests, including this year’s honoree Mr. Adorjan, his wife Dianna, their 3 children and extended family; Ambassador George Herbert Walker III, Gala Co-Chair, and Mrs. Carol Walker; Mr. Michael F. Neidorff, Gala Co-Chair, and Mrs. Noemi Neidorff; Ambassador Réka Szemerkényi, Hungary’s Ambassador to the United States and Governor George Pataki, the first-ever Hungarian American candidate for President of the United States.

Other prominent guests included Dr. Tamás Fellegi, President and CEO of the Hungary Initiatives Foundation; Mr. John Lipsky, former First Vice President of the International Monetary Fund and Mrs. Zsuzsanna Kárász Lipsky; Ambassador April Foley, Chairman of the Hungary Initiatives Foundation Board; Ms. Susan Hutchison, Chairwoman of the Republican Party from the state of Washington; Mr. Dávid József Szabó, Program Director at Századvég Foundation; Dr. Ariel Cohen, Founder and Director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security; Mrs. Edith Lauer, Chair Emerita of the Coalition and Mr. John Lauer; Mr. László Hámos, President of the American Diaspora Council and the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Stefan Fedor, Founders of the American Hungarian Heritage House in Washington D.C.; Mrs. Hajnalka Horváth-Tóth, Prime Minister’s Office and Mr. Peter Tóth; Mr. Marion Smith, Executive Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and  Mrs. Anna Smith Lacey; and Mr. Peter Kalotai, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Hungarian Embassy.

Coalition board members in attendance included Zsolt Szekeres, Treasurer; Dr. Agnes Virga, President of the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts; and Mrs. Csilla Grauzer, Honorary Consul President of the Minnesota Hungarians. Many Coalition friends were also present: Enikő Basa Molnár, Executive Director of the American Hungarian Educators Association and the Coalition interns’ “guardian angel”; Colonel Matt Smith and his wife Laura Balser; Krisztina Osvát, Counsellor at the Embassy of Hungary in charge of outreach to the Hungarian American community.

Following Mrs. Lauer Rice’s welcoming remarks, Ambassador Szemerkényi highlighted the challenges of the current migration crisis facing Hungary, emphasizing the global nature of the crisis and the need to strengthen the transatlantic relationship.  She expressed high praise for Mr. Adorjan, the Coalition’s honoree, by saying that he is a “special treasure to both Hungary and the Hungarian American community.”

After Amb. Szemerkényi’s remarks, Mrs. Lauer Rice reviewed the main ongoing Coalition programs, including the Congressional Internship Program, the Dr. Elemér and Éva Kiss Scholarship Fund and The Bognár Family Hungarian Scholarship Fund, as well as the Hungarian Americans Together (HATOG) conference series.  She described the significance of the 2015 Jubilee Scout Camp organized last month in Fillmore, NY, by Coalition founding member, the Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris. The organization celebrated its 70th anniversary this year.

Mrs. Lauer-Rice also introduced The Memory Project, a new initiative undertaken with Coalition member and award-winning documentary filmmaker Réka Pigniczky.  They have filmed interviews with more than 35 Hungarian-Americans who immigrated to the US after the Second World War and after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.  These interviews, whose subjects include several leaders of the Coalition, not only provide a historic glimpse into the war and revolution in Hungary, but also reveal their personal stories of immigration to the United States and the challenges of remaining Hungarian while settling into a new country.  The video presentation was received with several rounds of applause by the audience.

In his introductory remarks following dinner, Ambassador George H. Walker III, Gala Co-Chair, praised his good friend, Mr. Adorjan by saying that “not only has Joe’s professional career been a tremendous success story, but what he has done in the last ten years to strengthen the ties between the U.S. and Hungary has been truly extraordinary.”

Coalition President Max Teleki then highlighted the milestones of the honoree’s life, stressing Mr. Adorjan’s tireless activities on behalf of the Hungarian-Missouri Educational Partnership. In addition to educational exchange, the program encourages personal ties among future U.S. and Hungarian leaders.

In accepting the award, Mr. J. Joe Adorjan said: “In my belief, by investing in the next generation of young Hungarians, we will make a difference in that country; we will build and strengthen our relationship with the United Stated and on behalf of HMEP I just want to thank you all for this wonderful honor.”

After the award ceremony, Ms. Susan Hutchison and Governor Pataki gave toasts about the importance of the traditional values held by Mr. Adorjan, and the connection felt by many in the room to their Hungarian heritage.

As Mrs. Lauer Rice concluded the evening, she thanked Zsolt Szekeres, Noémi Bánhidi, Program Coordinator, and the four Coalition interns – Noémi Dalma Nagy, László Baksay, Lőrinc Thurnay and Benjámin Babicz for all their efforts that assured the success of the Gala Dinner.

October 1, 2015 | Washington, DC

Source: hacusa.org

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