The Csíksomlyó Expressz and the Székely Gyors departed for Csíksomlyó from the Keleti railway station in Budapest at dawn on Friday, György Petrus, head of the Carpathian Europe Travel Agency, which organized the trip, informed MTI.

The Csíksomlyó Expressz left Szombathely after midnight and arrived at Keleti railway station in Budapest via Sopron, Kapuvár, Csorna, Győr, Komárom, Tatabánya. Here, the Csíksomlyó Expressz was connected to the Székely Gyors, and the two trains left together for Transylvania.

After the trip on Friday, the main program of the pilgrimage on Saturday is the farewell mass in Csíksomlyó at the Mária shrine.

On Sunday, the pilgrims will take the train to Gyimes, to the thousand-year border, and then take part in the Hungarian-Szekely meeting called the Pünkösdi Forgatag.

As in previous years, 1,100 pilgrims travel on the two trains. The train is pulled by a locomotive decorated with the portrait of the Kossuth Prize-winning writer, who was born 125 years ago, on the occasion of the Áron Tamási commemorative year.

In addition to the Karpáteurópa Utazási Iroda, the Misszió Tours travel agency also organized train pilgrimages to the farewell to Csíksomlyó. The Blessed Virgin Mary pilgrim train set off on Thursday, and on Friday afternoon the Mission pilgrim train will also leave Budapest, led by the Franciscan monk Csaba Böjte.

According to legend, the first farewell procession in Csíksomlyo was held in 1567, when the Transylvanian prince János Zsigmond wanted to force the Catholic Szeklers to adopt the Unitarian religion at gunpoint. The people of Csík, Gyergyó and Kászon gathered in Csíksomlyo on Pentecost Saturday, asked for the help of Szźz Mária, and then defeated the prince's army at the Hargita Tolvajos pass. After the victory, they gave thanks again in Csíksomlyo, and also made a vow that they would make a pilgrimage there every year on Pentecost Saturday.

MTI

Cover photo: The national pilgrimage train departing for the Pentecost farewell from Csíksomlyo will be blessed at Keleti railway station on June 3, 2022. The Csíksomlyó Express left Szombathely after midnight and arrived at Keleti railway station via Sopron, Kapuvár, Csorna, Gyõr, Komárom, Tatabánya. Here it was connected to the Székely Gyors, and the two trains set off together as a national pilgrimage train to Transylvania. / MTI/Zoltán Balogh