Magyar News, 1996. szeptember-1997. augusztus (7. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1997-01-01 / 5. szám
The memory of o refugee's Christmas ~v o Greater I by Criko Popp Faber B ack in Hungary, we had never eaten turnips; they were used only for fodder. In Berlin, on the other hand, and later in Hannover, they often constituted the main dish. We had turnips sliced, mashed, dried turnips boiled in water, turnips every way imaginable. And we all hated them. But we had no choice, for often it was either turnips or nothing. I remember gaping in utter disbelief at one man in a restaurant for leaving his beets on his plate, and eating the turnips served with them that day. After dinner, soon after eight, we would hear the Lichtfunk, the chiming radio signal, from the set in the apartment upstairs, warning of an impending air raid. Mom would grab the pot with the shrinking piece of roast beef she had brought from Budapest, Dad would take the emergency suitcase with our vital documents, and we would hurry downstairs in our winter coats. The people in the house were middle-aged (really “old” to me!), and there were no other children. One woman lent me a sled when it snowed, and when Mom mentioned how cold it was in the apartment, a pile of firewood was left anonymously on our doorstep. It was only a few days before Christmas that we moved into the apartment. “Daddy, do you think the Christ Child will find us here in Berlin?” I asked one night. I’m sure He will. But the Christ Child is very poor now. He’s a refuqee, too. So I wouldn’t count on gifts this Christmas if I were you!” Still I fretted. How was He going to find us, so far from home? And if He didn’t? There’d be no Christmas at all, and that, to my child’s mind, was simply unthinkable! As we sang the traditional “Mennyből az angyal” on Christmas Eve, I was shocked. The tree was nothing like the floor-to-ceiling fir I was used to see. As a matter of fact, it was terribly shabby, consisting of only two small branches tied together. White thread took the place of icicles, and at few candle stubs held by safety pins were the only ornaments. There was no candy wrapped in tissue paper, hanging enticingly from the tree. And instead of many toys covering the floor, there was only one coloring game for me. Now I understood what Dad meant about the Christ Child being poor! As we finished singing, I saw that Mom was crying, and Dad too was fighting back tears. All of a sudden I felt very sorry for them because they were so sad, and could therefore accept this miserable tree and its solitary game without fuss. What made me sad was that Grandma and Grandpa were not there with us, as they always had been on Christmas Eve. “At least we’re all together,” Mom and Dad kept saying, “and that‘s all that counts.“ But Christmas would never again be the same for us. UPCANHVG EVENTS DEC. 31. TUESDAY. NEW YEAR’S EVE, 8:00 PM at the Community Hall in Wallingford New Year’s Eve Gala. Full coarse buffet dinner including champagne. Music by Continental Dance Orchestra. Reservations only. $45.00 per person; ages 10-16 $22.50; 10 and under free. Call (203)634-0602 DEC. 31. TUESDAY. NEW YEAR’S EVE 8:00 PM TO 1:00 AM at the Calvin United Church NEW YEARS EVE DINNER DANCE. American and Hungarian music of the 50-s thru 70-s by CJ Productions. Beef or chicken dinner, also continental breakfast. For reservation call 372-1195. [=1 Isi 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 8 a(bV at St. Emery’s School Hall. Set-ups,Door Prizes & Party Favors. Buffett supper by Kossuth Club, Chicken Cordon Bleau, Roast pork, Stuffed Cabbage Music by Stan Danielczuk Band. Tickets $35.00 per person. No refunds. Advanced ticket purchase only. Call Frank Polke 334-5174 or Tony Zad 333-7480 Ej 1 I 1 8 1 a 8 a § 0 [=1 J3JSJ5iaM3iaM3í5I5EM3ISÍSJ5J5M5M5M5M5MSMSISí3MSJ SCHOLARSHIP JANUARY 5 Sunday at 3:00 PM in the Club Room of the Calvin United Church of Christ the American Hungarian Heritage Association will reward the 1997 recipients of the Mary Katona Scholarships. Bette Johnson, chairman will give account of the student’s academic achievements, their participation in the community life, and naturally the essay that was a requirement. The Tea Party will be an opportunity to meet these outstanding scholars, learn about their life and future plans. There will be a quiz game with prizes. Besides the visual quizzes Rozsika will conduct a musical game to our pleasure. Please bake for the party. Coffee will be served.
