The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1986 (13. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1986-11-01 / 11-12. szám
The four ethnic groups are themselves extremely heterogeneous. The Southern Slaves, for example, can themselves be divided into at least 5 groups on the basis of dialect, religion and origin. Those who arrived from the lower reaches of the Danube or from Bosnia (Bunevats, Bosnians) are Roman Catholics, as are the Slovenians and the Vends, while the Serbians are Greek Orthodox. The Slovaks living in Békés County are also Catholics. It is a characteristic feature of the nationalities in Hungary that under the influence of the closed village communities in which they lived in order to preserve the various royal privileges granted at the time of their settlement, the majority did not strive for integration. As a result, they kept their mother tongues, their ethnic traditions and sense of common identity throughout the centuries. With the revival of ethnic pride throughout the world, this sense of identity, which enjoys the support of the state, is growing stronger than ever. The many tensions that strained Hungary's relations with the neighboring countries which were also instrumental in making life more difficult for the nationalities are now a thing of the past. The expatriation of Germans provided for in the Potsdam Agreement signed by the Great Powers after the Second World War, the Slovak-Hungarian population exchange and the deterioration of relations with Yugoslavia in 1948, had a detrimental effect on the fate of the Germans. Southern Slavs and Slovaks living within the borders of Hungary. Ill-conceived measures further aggravated their problems; for example, between 1963 and 1968, there was a regulation in force banning the use of ‘foreign" first names, although within its own sphere of authority the Csongrád County Council allowed parents belonging to the non-Hungarian nationalities to register foreign names on the birth certificates of their infants. Although Hungarian citizens whose mother tongue is not Hungarian have preserved their national identities, most now speak dialects, and the difference from the original language may be so great - for example in the case of German - that it is becoming an obstacle to understanding. Those who speak the Rhenish-Frank dialect have difficulty making themselves understood by Bavarians or Alemans, even though they may live in neighboring villages. It is interesting to note that Germans in Hungary are known as Swabians on the basis of the first settlers, although in reality only a small minority of them actually came from Swabia. This is one reason why bilingualism is spreading; how else could the Southern Slavs, Germans and Hungarians living in the villages around Baja understand each other if not in Hungarians? Besides, the dialects of the nationalities lack much of the vocabulary needed for modern life. However, bilingualism is not a sign of integration but reflects the fact that the nationalities who have been living together for centuries are also bound to Hungary by cultural ties. In the counties of southeast Hungary, too, care is taken to cultivate the languages of the national minorities, and the possibility of cultivating the mother tongue, from kindergarten to college is now ensured. There is a Slovak high school in Békéscsaba, a Romanian high school in Gyula and a German high school in Baja, and the authorities are making greater efforts than ever before to raise the standard of teaching in the non-Hungarian languages. There are nationality clubs in Békéscsaba and Gyula, and many amateur cultural groups cultivate forklore traditions. The Southern Slav tambura bands and the German brass bands are very popular and win many prizes at festivals both at home and abroad. In Békéscsaba, a school-children's festival for the minorities is held every two or three years, providing the children with a good opportunity to make friends with other children from their old homelands. Radio and television programs and nationality newspapers in German, Serbo-Croatian, Romanian and Slovakian deal with the special issues of the minorities in Hungary. It is recognized that the national minorities can share common goals with the Hungarian people only if they feel that efforts are being made to satisfy their special needs, to help them cultivate their ties with the nations that speak their own mother tongues. Hungarian Digest NEWS IN BRIEF HUNGARY CRITICIZES SOVIET BLOC ALLY Hungary lectured Romania about its treatment of the Hungarian minority there, in a rare public display of tension among Soviet bloc allias. Hungary complained that while Romanians in Hungary had full access to Romanian newspapers and magazines, the availability of Hungarian newspapers and periodicals was restricted in Romania. Hungarians comprise over 10 percent of Romania’s 23 million people. The perception that Romania mistreats its Hungarian population is well known and documented in Hungary and also in the United States. SZABOLCS FENYES DIES SZABOLCS FENYES, well-known composer, died of a heart attack, at the age of 74, on Sunday, October 12, 1986. After graduating from the Budapest Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, Fenyes composed music for more than 30 Operattas (“Maya”, “Rigó Jancsi”), and for 130 films. * * * The AMERICAN HUNGARIAN REFORMER PRESBYTERS’ ASSOCIATION held its 40th annual meeting in Ligonier, PA on Labor Day weekend, August 31 and September 1, 1986. Seventy-five persons attended the meeting representing twenty-two congregations from nine states as far west as California. These attendees represented the four major denominations to which our Hungarian Reformed congregations belong, namely, the Calvin Synod of the United Church of Christ, the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, the Reformed Church in America and the Presbyterian Church. The aim of the Association is to unite the Hungarian Reformed Presbyters of America in one organization in order to strengthen the feeling of fraternal unity; to face common problems with a united front, striving to find solutions and plan united actions at the annual conferences; to aid the work of the Hungarian Reformed congregations more effectively; and in general, to endeavor to make the Hungarian Reformed Churches in America better and more efficient instruments for the spreading of the Kingdom of God on earth. Anthony C. Beke, president Page 5
