Pista bá', the Székely mascot, followed the Hungarian Prime Minister's performance in Tusvány from very close, from the table in front of Viktor Orbán. After the event, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Zsolt Németh, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Fidesz, took a joint photo with Pista, as a result of which the Hungarian press also noticed the big-headed, goofy-moustached figure from Székely.
We found out about the adventurous path and cunning of Székely Pista came to Viktor Orbán's performance in Tusványos, as well as where he met and who else the Székely mascot met on his trip around the world.
He was born in Sepsiszentgyörgy and strives for international laurels
Pista bá was born ten years ago under the supervision of Zsolt Vrabie, or better known as Uncle Csuri, a designer from Sepsiszentgyörgy, with the aim of becoming a typical mascot of the region. "The Pista bá' with a goofy mustache and dressed in folk costume is 11 cm tall and you can feel the scent of our forests on him, because he is made of wood from the forest region and wears a vest made from a craftsman in Kézdivásárhely. It is an ornament, a souvenir, but also a toy for children who are proud of their identity", says creator Zsolt Vrabie about the figure.
Uncle Churi said:
Pista bá' embodies the Székely man who is proud of his identity. "He's clever, but tight-lipped, firm, but doesn't think too much. He thinks a lot about the things of the world, so he has a special wisdom. He is cheerful, lovable, and we can almost be sure that he would carry some plum brandy in his inner pocket if he came to life", is how his creator describes his character.
Pista bá' differs from the average person in Székely in that it does not follow the demographic indicators of the region, but reproduces at a significantly better rate. In the meantime, Uncle Csuri also created his counterpart, Asszon, from Pista's side rib, but over the years, 42 types of personified figures were made at the request of various individuals and organizations. In ten years, approximately 12,000 mascots have already found owners and many of them have traveled the world.
Pista bá's Facebook page has nearly 9,000 followers and is also gaining international laurels, as evidenced by the huge foreign photo. Mr. Pista has already visited the Capitol in Washington, but he also went to the Dallas-Washington hockey game, the Cologne Cathedral, Siberia, Italy, Portugal, Mexico, etc.
Pista in the company of famous people
Uncle Csuri told Maszol that he always asks his customers to take a photo of him and send it to him if he goes anywhere in the world. At the same time, he set a goal for some time to deliver the Pista Bá' figure as a gift to important personalities, which is how it recently ended up on the tables of Zsolt Németh and Viktor Orbán in Tusványosi.
"I respect and appreciate Viktor Orbán's work. On the occasion of the last 3-4 Tusványos, I unsuccessfully tried to meet with the Prime Minister in order to hand over the Pista bá figurine intended for him. I went up to Tusványos again this year, I talked to the security, but they said that we could not meet directly, as all contact is limited for security reasons", says Uncle Csuri.
Just like the Pista bá figure, its creator does not lack Székely cunning and perseverance, because he decided to deliver his gift to Viktor Orbán through an intermediary this year.
"I stopped in front of the Tusványós cordon and sent a message to Sándor Tamás, president of the Triumvirate Council, whom I asked to deliver Pista bá to the Hungarian Prime Minister and explain what he represents," said Zsolt Vrabie.
Tamás Sándor accepted the invitation positively and, as the photos showed, he handed the Székely mascot to Zsolt Németh on the stage in Tusványos, who placed it on the table in front of Viktor Orbán, and at the end of the performance they took a photo together. In response to Maszol's inquiry, Sándor Tamás said that he considered this gesture important because what Zsolt Vrabie does with the figure of the Pista Bá' constitutes the marketing of the region, which is the task of the three-member municipality in the public sector. "Our passion is Székelyföld" , said Sándor Tamás.
To our interest, Uncle Csuri recalled that in recent years, many musicians and performers have been gifted with Pista ba in a similarly adventurous way, but in addition to others, there is also a Székely mascot for former head of state János Áder and King Károly, who were gifted during their visit to Zalánpatak.
Featured image: Zsófi Szollár/Index
