Two Countries, Four Cities, Day of Hungarian Culture Celebrated with Programs Spanning Generations

Two countries, four cities – a series of events spanning generations is being prepared for the Day of Hungarian Culture on January 22. Oradea (Nagyvárad), Berettyóújfalu, Debrecen, and Margitta are once again jointly organizing the celebration this year, with the involvement of schools and civil organizations.

At a press conference in Oradea on Wednesday, Ödön Szabó, executive president of the RMDSZ organization in Bihar County, recalled the beginnings when Berettyóújfalu was their only partner. Now, however, it has grown into a major event series at the Carpathian Basin level, becoming a true community event. If the programs organized by schools are included, there are nearly two hundred programs in total. In Szabó’s view, it is important that the series of events provides a space for showcasing local values, while also giving recognition. At the galas in all four cities, awards are given to local people who play a role in cultural life and create value.

In Oradea, the gala will begin at 6 p.m. on January 22, at the Szigligeti Theater. The Lifetime Achievement Award for Hungarian Culture, the Hungarian Culture Awards, and commemorative plaques will be presented, and this year the Miklós Jakobovits Award will also be handed out. The festive program will feature a performance by the Magyarock Song Theater, The Sons of the Stone-Hearted Man.

István Puskás, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen responsible for culture, joined the press conference online. He reminded viewers that the cultural season traditionally begins with the Day of Hungarian Culture. Three pipes belonging to Ferenc Kölcsey will be on display at the Déri Museum (from January 17 to 25), but the program also includes an anniversary concert by Lóri Heit and his band (January 18, 5 p.m., Kölcsey Center), and a book exhibition, film screening, wreath laying, commemoration, and lectures are also included in the program.

Berettyóújfalu is also striving to appeal to all age groups, according to the press conference, where Deputy Mayor János Bónácz presented the program. Their gala evening will be on January 21, when they will present a performance by Jászai Mari Award-winning actress Fruzsina Pregitzer, preceded by the opening of an exhibition by Oradea-based artists Katalin Márton and Noémi Jankó-Szép.

In Margitta, visitors are invited to an exhibition of local amateur painters on Monday at 6 p.m., followed by an exhibition by Beatrix Tóth, a folk artist, (5 p.m.) and a charity book exchange (6 p.m.) the next day. Mayor Zsolt Demián announced that they want to use the proceeds to install a book cart in the city.

The idea is that anyone can put books in it and take books from it, free of charge. Of course, there will also be a book launch and a gala evening in Margitta. These are planned for January 23.

In Oradea, the programs will begin on Thursday at 6 p.m. and writer Andor Bajor will be commemorated at the Kiss Studio Theater. Another central venue for the events will be the Léda House. According to László Szűcs, editor-in-chief of Újvárad magazine, among other things, they will present Attila Markó’s book, 101 Months: A Life Story from Injustice to Justice (January 23, 6 p.m.) and Béla Nagy’s memoir series Egyszál magunk (Alone) (January 25, 5 p.m.).

There will also be a reading (January 27, 6 p.m.) by student poets from the Debrecen-Nagyvárad Literary Workshop (DENIM). The project was launched last year, and students from Partium Christian University have now joined in. According to Szűcs, they would like to compile an anthology of the works by the end of the year.

Several civil organizations and all schools with Hungarian departments have joined the programs in Oradea. This year there will also be a film screening at the Cinema Palace in the Lotus shopping center, where Ember Maradj – az Ákos-sztori, (Stay Human – The Ákos Story) will be shown as a pre-premiere screening. In addition, Ákos Kovács will also participate in the event, which will be combined with a meet and greet.

In addition to all this, the Ferenczy Museum in Szentendre (near Budapest) will also open a new exhibition entitled Frame Stories, featuring more than 150 works by 100 artists to honor the Day of Hungarian Culture.

The exhibition Kerettörténetek (Frame Stories) features a selection from the collection of the Ferenczy Museum Center (FMC), which holds more than two million objects.

Another installation, Fantomszál – Művészfeleségek nyomában (Phantom Thread – In the Footsteps of Artists’ Wives), is part of the chamber exhibition series, presenting the life of Olga Fialka, wife of Károly Ferenczy. Valér Ferenczy, Noémi and Béni’s mother, was an artist herself, but after the birth of her children, she limited her own artistic ambitions to supporting the creative careers of her family members. Starting in September, the next part of the series will highlight the important stages in the life of Mária Modok, wife of Béla Czóbel.

Via MTI, maszol.ro; Featured image: MTI/Kiss Gábor

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