Since 1989, we have celebrated the Day of Hungarian Culture on January 22 in memory of the fact that, according to the manuscript, Ferenc Kölcsey finished the National Anthem on this day in 1823.

Ferenc Kölcsey, who lived in Szatmárcsek since 1815, wrote the greatest masterpiece of his patriotic poetry, the Hymnus, in January 1823, at the time when the Viennese court's anti-constitutional measures were intensifying, the manuscript of which was cleared on January 22, 1823. The poem was first published in Károly Kisfaludy's journal Aurora in 1828, without the "from the stormy centuries of the Hungarian people" , but in 1832, in the first volume of Kölcsey's works, it was published with the subtitle given by the author.

Ferenc Kölcsey wrote his poems on separate pages and collected them in manuscript packages. The manuscript package containing the Hymnus disappeared at the end of the 1830s, and only after more than a hundred years of hiding, in 1946, did it come into the possession of the National Széchényi Library. The manuscript of the Hymnus, damaged by ink stains, can be found on two pages (the website also presents the fictional story of the Hymn).

In 1844, a tender was announced for setting the Anthem to music, which was won by Ferenc Erkel, the conductor of the National Theater in Pest. His masterpiece was presented at the National Theater on July 2, 1844, conducted by the composer. It was sung in front of a wider public for the first time on August 10, 1844 at the Óbuda Shipyard, when the Széchenyi steamer was launched, and it was played for the first time on August 20, 1848 at an official state ceremony. At that time, it was sung alternately or together with the Szózat on festive occasions, and during the period of repression following the defeat of the War of Independence, the National Anthem became the national prayer of the Hungarians, so to speak, on the basis of public consensus.

The National Anthem was officially adopted only by Act XXXI of 1989, which fundamentally amended the 1949 party-state constitution. included in the list of our national symbols by law. Article I) of the Basic Law of Hungary, which entered into force on January 1, 2012, also states:

"The anthem of Hungary is Ferenc Kölcsey's poem Anthem with music by Ferenc Erkel."

The idea of ​​commemorating the Day of Hungarian Culture was raised by the younger pianist Árpád Fasang in 1985. According to his words

"this day is also suitable for raising awareness that we can draw from the thousand-year-old heritage and have something to be proud of, as this nation has given a lot to the culture of Europe and the world. This inheritance provides sustenance, it can be managed, and it can also help solve today's problems".

On December 29, 1988, the National Council of the Patriotic People's Front decided to observe the Day of Hungarian Culture, and the events took place for the first time in January 1989. In December 2022, the Parliament officially declared January 22 as the Day of Hungarian Culture.

On the occasion of the holiday, Hungarians here at home, abroad and around the world commemorate Hungarian cultural values. They organize exhibitions and concerts, book presentations, literary evenings and theater performances.

In connection with this day, professional recognitions related to Hungarian culture and - since 1993 - education and pedagogical work are also presented, including library and public education professional awards, the Kölcsey memorial plaque, the title of Knight of Culture of the Foundation for the Villages' Culture, and in Cluj-Napoca the Romanian Hungarian Transylvanian Hungarian Contemporary Culture Award founded by the Democratic Union (RMDSZ).

Source: hirado.hu

Cover image: OSZK