The programs are already underway, but this year's series of events of the Hungarian Days in Arad will begin in full swing this weekend, the main event of which is traditionally the commemoration on October 6.
This year, Hungarians commemorate the 175th anniversary of the execution in Arad of the 13 generals of the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-1849 on the national day of mourning, on which Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó interprets the Hungarian government's message at the Statue of Liberty in Arad.
The Arad Hungarian Days have a history of more than two decades, which is not only a series of entertaining, traditional, cultural and leisure events.
"It has the power to build and maintain a community. Participants come to the events not only from Arad, but from several settlements in the county, from which everyone can choose the one that suits their age and interests," said Tamás Péró, the executive president of the RMDSZ's Arad county organization, introducing the program.
In a little more than two weeks, 53 events will take place, and more than twenty Hungarian church and educational institutions, civil organizations or private individuals will join in the organization, which is why it can be said that - according to Tamás Péró - "the series of programs is born through community cooperation. "
Fine art exhibitions, theater performances, book presentations, exhibitions, podium discussions are included in the event calendar. Among other things, there will be an audience meeting with the playwright Csaba Székely (September 27), who graduated from high school in Arad, a study trip to Világos for the county's sixth-graders studying Hungarian (September 28), the inauguration of a memorial to Kelemen Didák in the Minorite church (September 29), humor evening, teacher's day, but Nándor Fa (October 3), who has sailed around the Earth five times, will give an account of his experience.
On September 20-21, i.e. Friday and Saturday, the Romanian-Hungarian Reconciliation Park, which is also home to the Statue of Liberty, will host a festival weekend with children's activities, folk dances, traditional archery, craft fairs and concerts.
The Sunday programs of the originally planned three-day event were forced to be canceled due to the emergency decree of the Romanian government at the beginning of September, which limits budget expenditures for cultural events (Arad Hungarian Days is included in the city's cultural event calendar, thus the cultural center covers the costs from the city treasury), and for this reason, the Ossian and Iryy Hónaljgirigy concerts had to be cancelled. However, Republic and Curtis will perform in Arad on Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m.
The main event of the Hungarian Days in Arad is traditionally the commemoration on October 6. This year, Hungarians are commemorating the 175th anniversary of the bloody reprisal of the 1848-1849 Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence, the execution of 13 army generals in Arad, on the national day of mourning.
On the eve of the event, two special performances will be held: violinist Zoltán Mága will give a concert at the Kultúrpalota, in the concert hall of the Philharmonic, from 4 p.m., and from 7 p.m., the Budapest National Theater will present József Katona's drama, directed by Attila Bánk bánt Vidnyánszky, in the main theater (Ioan Slavici Classical Theatre).
Admission to both performances is free, but invitations must be requested at the RMDSZ office, which can be done from September 23.
On October 6, the national day of mourning, the 1848-1849 Relic Museum, the collection of relics related to the martyrs and the revolution, can be visited in the county museum from 1:30 p.m.; on Sunday at 4:00 p.m., a procession and wreath-laying will be held at the obelisk on the site of the loss, from 5:00 p.m., Archbishop György Udvardy of Veszprém will celebrate a funeral mass in the Roman Catholic church in downtown Arad in memory of the Arad martyrs, after which the memorial procession will arrive on foot to the Statue of Liberty.
At the monumental work of György Zala, the commemoration and wreath-laying will begin at 6:30 p.m., speeches will be made by RMDSZ president Kelemen Hunor and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, among others. The commemoration ends with a torchlight procession of Arad students.
Cover image: Torchlight procession in Arad
Source: Krónika.ro/Zsolt Lehel Pataky
