Magyar News, 1998. szeptember-1999. augusztus (9. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1999-02-01 / 6. szám
Jingleis have a special sound HUNGARIAN CHILDREN FILLED OUR SOUL All of us, who had the experience as a child in the Old Country, try to find some connection to it as we go by in our present life. This is more prevailing when a new generation triggers our attention. Many memories came back to us as we sat in the audience watching Hungarian children doing a Christmas play on the stage at Calvin hall. Every year the Pannónia American Hungarian Club sponsors and organizes this event. The performers are mostly children who attend the weekend Hungarian school that has been operating for quite some years now. Fortunately there are always little children who speak Hungarian and who are enrolled in the school. We are lucky that there are teachers to do the education. These teachers happen to be professionals, educated in Hungary. It is most heart-warming to hear the little voices recite poems in a language that we don’t hear much in the streets now-a-days, and to watch those little fingers miraculously touch the keys of the piano playing some music that resonate cords in all of us. With the children there are those who grew up and became alumni members of this event. They come back, some already in a professional field, and join the little ones to bring us beyond nostalgia and give us a performance that rounds out everything to a higher artistic level. Olga Rethy, president of the Pannónia Club, was responsible for organizing this years Christmas celebration. She received unlimited support from the board of directors and committees of the club. The atmosphere of the afternoon was set by Rev. Havadtoy delivering the invocation prayer in Hungarian. At his time of the year the Hungarian clergy, as others, are very busy and have many obligations. We missed Rev. Mayer Miska from Norwalk, who participated in the preparations. Rev. Poznan couldn’t be present at the beginning but made it in time to be able to enjoy most of the event. As in every year the Christmas celebration is the occasion when the Pannónia gives out scholarships to students who are continuing with studies in higher education. This years recipients were: Tibor Kovács, Elizabeth Szedenszki, Tünde Leszay, Marton Venczel, and Steven Jonas. This beautiful event ended by giving a nicely decorated tin can filled with delicious candy to every child in the hall, whether they performed or were guests just sitting in the audience. Whenever there are some of these presents left over, they are offered to the grandmothers who came to the celebration. The audience was also invited to the traditional reception with the best hot-dog in our area, fresh brewed coffee and naturally a selection of Hungarian pastry.See you next year! J.F.B. I THEY PUT I THEIR SOUL 1 INTO IT I 1 It is fashionable now-a-days to raise walls and carve the names of people who made outstanding contributions, heroic deeds and alike. I have a üst of names that I would like to bring to the public but for this purpose I only have these pages. These really do not need walls of stone because their names hopefully will be appearing from time to time as they make their contribution to the Hungarian heritage. These people lead the celebration of Cliristmas in the Hungarian tradition. They are students at the Hungarian School and children from the area. We all thank them. Viktoria Mathe, Andros Mathe, Dayton Horvath, Corie Halasz, Christiana Gioume, David Wolff, Christina Poznan, Tamas Wolff, László Magyar, Gabriella Magyar, Krisztina Serfozo, Abigél Balogh, Terren Horvath, Nathyn Horvath, Jordan Halasz, Shelby Halasz, Poznan Attila, Krisztiana Zsient, Lemocska Zsiem, Dorien Paine, Joshua Batizfalvi, Alexandra Matolcsy, Jason Boldogh and Grant Gerebely. I would like to underline the names of their Hungarian School teachers: Enikő Jonas, Eva Wolff, Csilla Strbir and Gabriella Kaszala. Naturally there were grown-ups too, who did their share on the stage. Julianna Poznan and Krisztina Beres played at the piano to lead the audience in singing Christmas songs. The audience also received an outstanding treat. Reka Leszay, who has been studying vocal performance on the highest level, sang a few songs. Tellef Johnson, a concert pianist accompanied Reka, and he also played a composition by the Hungarian musician, Franz Liszt. Page 3 I
