Fraternity-Testvériség, 1992 (70. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1992-04-01 / 2. szám
FRATERNITY Page 21 Kosa, pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church. The Református Nap, which began with outdoor worship services at places like Linwood Grove, Rákóczi Grove, and Manville, was a favorite gathering time for fellow villagers (“falubeli”). This year the 17th Annual Hungarian Festival again attracted some 7000 persons. The HCA member churches and organizations participating in the festival were the American Hungarian Foundation, Ascension Lutheran Church, Bayard Street Presbyterian Church, High Street Baptist Church, Hungarian American Athletic Club, Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, Hungarian Scouts of New Brunswick, Magyar Reformed Church, Magyar Savings Bank, St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church, and the William Penn Association. The Annual Hungarian Festival of New Brunswick is included in the Dale Adam’s newly published book BEST FESTIVALS MID-ATLANTIC released by Countryman Press. In preparation for writing the book, Adams reviewed more than 1000 events and narrowed the list to 270, including the one in New Brunswick. Mayor Cahill of New Brunswick, who is half Hungarian, thought this year’s festival was great. “I come here every year,” he said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Yolan Varga, Branch 302 HOLDING ON TO A HERITAGE By Heather Leigh Kovács Heather Leigh Kovács is a recipient of the Mary Katona Scholarship. One of the requirements for the Scholarship, given out by the American Hungarian Heritage Association, is an essay on an experience in the Hungarian community. The following is the essay written by her, and it first appeared in the “Magyar News”, a monthly Hungarian Newsletter in Connecticut. “As a child, I lived with my parents and my mother’s parents in Norwalk, CT. My grandmother was born in Hungary and spoke the language well. On the other hand, my grandfather, mother, and father were also Hungarian but were bom in the United States. Though my mother and grandfather spoke Hungarian well, my father only knew short phrases and words like I do now. Looking back at my childhood, I could recall many joyous events. I could remember sitting around the dinner table eating Hungarian food and listening to my family speak in Hungarian. I believe not being fluent in this other language was a disadvantage for me. My family could say things that I would not understand. Though I learned phrases and basic words, I was never able to speak fluently. The more I understood them, the less they would speak. Eventually, they also only spoke a few phrases in Hungarian. Throughout my childhood, I grew up with Hungarian relatives, ate Hungarian food, went to a Hungarian church, and learned about the Hungarian culture. I listened to Hungarian music and played with Hungarian clothes. The older I grew, the more I learned about my nationality. Unfortunately, the one thing I truly wanted to learn was the language, however, there were no lessons available. My grandparents were willing to help, but they did not know the proper grammar and were unable to explain how words should be used. Outside of home, growing up was an unusual experience since many of my friends did not know anything about Hungarians. From personal experiences, I have deducted that not many Hungarians live in my area. As a matter of fact, it would be very unusual for me to encounter someone of the same nationality as me. When I would tell my friends that I was Hungarian, they would be astonished. In a way, it made me feel special. Being a proud Hungarian, I would introduce my friends to Hungarian food and attempt to teach them simple Hungarian words or how to count in Hungarian. As a result, my friends were truly intrigued. Though I was different, it did not bother me. I enjoyed being different. For many years, I traveled thirty
