Calvin Synod Herald, 2000 (101. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-11-01 / 11-12. szám
6 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD I Believe and Confess... (Continued from our previous issue) The strength and the composition of the congregations has also changed a great deal in recent decades. Village congregations particularly have shrunk. This process is due to the intentions of the Communist state which, by disrupting the social basis of the churches, by compelling the peasants to join farmers’ cooperatives, by persecuting the ‘kulaks’ (wealthier peasants), by promoting atheistic education of the young, by means of administrative reprisals and the concoction of trials against the churches, and by the application of the principle “Smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered abroad”, did such harm to the churches that the effects will be sorely felt for a long time. The internal migration of the population after World War II destroyed the formerly vital rural communities, and amongst them many a flourishing Reformed congregation. Of those who had come from the villages to the towns very few have made contact with the congregations in their new home. A great many large congregations wasted away as a result of this change in lifestyle, and as result of the artificially induced “falling off” through ideological propaganda. Of late, the administrative and political obstacles having been removed, the number and regularity of meetings to cultivate relationships between congregations has grown. The life of worship can now step outside the Church, and youth camps, church conferences at home and abroad, religious programming on the radio and television, as well as many other as yet undiscovered activities, point the way to the future. These phenomena will obviously exert a healthy influence on the further development of worship. OUR FEASTS In Hungary, as in other countries, the ecclesiastical year begins with the four Sundays of Advent, which serve as a preparation period for Christmas. The symbols on the towers of Reformed churches in Hungary are also related to Christmas, representing the star of Bethlehem which led the magi to Jesus. (Matthew 2:2) On Christmas Eve, or on one of the preceding days, the children of a congregation usually perform a nativity Play (the “Betlehemes”) and recite poems and sing songs about the Saviour’s birth. The “Betlehemes” is still a living folk tradition in the countryside. The young people dress up as shepherds and carry a model of the Bethlehem stable with the child lying in the manger with them to every house, giving their good wishes to their hosts in exchange for food. The tradition of celebrating Epiphany has faded since the 19th century, but the joyful character of the period has been preserved, and it is still a time to hold weddings and balls. The Easter period begins with the six Sundays of Lent. (To be continued in our next issue) Reformed Parochial School Az egykori magyar református iskola, ahol Dr. Varga Imre püspök és Dr. Vitéz Ferenc püspök tanult. Gyürke - Durkov, Slovakia
