Today is celebrated in Hungary

If you happen to be in Budapest on August 20th, you can witness how Hungarians celebrate one of their most important holidays,


Constitution Day. However, this day is not only about showing honour and respect to the constitution of the country, but it is also St Stephen’s Day,when Hungarians commemorate their first king. It was King Saint Stephen who laid the foundations and who brought Christianity to the region and to the pagan Magyar tribes, and united them under a strong Hungarian state and Catholicism.

St Stephen himself was born a pagan by the name of Vajk. His father was Grand Prince Géza of Hungary and his mother Sarolt was the daughter of a Transylvanian Hungarian nobleman. When he was baptized a Christian, he was given the name of Stephen (István). If it is true that the meaning of names can predetermine someone’s destiny, this second chosen name surely had some influence on the life of the later King of Hungary. Stephen was not only the name of the original early Christian saint; it also means ‘crown’ and ‘standard, norm’ as well. The later saint King of Hungary dedicated the Holy Crown to the Holy Virgin at his coronation and thus tied the standards of Christian doctrines to his rule, kingdom and future Hungary.
When Vajk alias Stephen reached adolescence, an assembly was called together by his father and they decided he would be his father’s successor as the Hungarians’ next monarch. This was perhaps the first sign that Vajk was going bring a change in the lives and ways of the Magyar tribes. Until then, according to the tribal customs, the right of succession went to the eldest close relative of the ruler. So not too surprisingly, following the death of Stephen’s father in 997, conflict burst out concerning the rightful succession. Stephen and his uncle Koppány,

a pagan chieftain, battled for the status and power of Grand Prince of the Hungarians. The battle was won by Stephen, but it wasn’t solely his own Magyar supporters who helped him to this victory. Stephen had married Giselle of Bavaria, daughter of Henry II The Wrangler just a few years before his father’s death and the German in-laws helped the future king to his pedestal.
His coronation as King of Hungary was in 1000 and his reign lasted for 38 years. During his reign he largely expanded the Hungarian Kingdom and spread Christianity in the Carpathian Basin. In one of his first decrees, for example, he ordered that every ten village had to build a church and he invited foreign priests to Hungary. He also established counties in his kingdom to organize the administration of the country.
He was canonized on the 20th of August 1083, becoming one of the most favoured saints in Hungary.
As a sign of his holiness, St Stephen’s right hand is still intact and it is known as the Holy Right.

Today it is displayed as a relic in St Stephen’s Basilica.

The Crown of St Stephen was recovered after missing for decades by US soldiers at the end of World War II. It was hidden in an oil drum. It was kept safe at a Ft. Knox vault for 32 years before being returned to Hungary in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter. Today it can be seen in the Hungarian parliament in Budapest.

On August the 20th you can experience a widespread and varied series of programs in Budapest. The state programs take place in front of the Parliament

and at Heroes Square. The Hungarian flag is hoisted, marching bands play, there are archery shows, dances, traditional Hungarian crafts workshops, ox and poultry roasted on open fires, etc.



Other festivals take place along and above the Danube. One of the most spectacular ones is the water and air parade. While the fireworks light the summer night skies, various dances tell the story of how Hungary was founded.

My flowers

My Orchid died once, but there is very beautiful now.

Weekdays

I haven't written in my blog for a long time.



I started to learn English again, with my friend. The lesson is once a week, but, it takes 4 hours. According to our young teacher, a week is a long time, so there's always a lot of homework. I need to study each evening. During learning I notice a lot of mistakes. I read a lot of English books but is not enough to understand the text. It is also important to talk. I would like others to understand me.



I started another thing too. I found an old box , in it I had a lot of old papers and photos. I know the close relatives, but I never heard of the others. I tried to arrange them and finally they became a family tree. It is like a real tree, new branches are born always

Today there are about 100 family members. I'm getting a lot of help from my elder brother. He also found old documents. In July I travelled to Transylvania. Me and my cousin went to a small village where the family members lived long ago. We were there the whole day. We met old people (80-90 years old), who could tell us many interesting things. It was the most interesting, that we found a new relative.



The following event: my grandchild comes to my place on holiday.

High Tatras

Last week, we spent four days in the High Tatras, Slovakia.

Maybe a year ago, I read on the net that under Gerlachovský peak an alpine meadow marmots live. I like marmots and a couple of times they have managed to close up to see, we decided to go to the Carpathian Mountains.

March, we have already booked accommodation, and we waited to the start. On Tuesday we left early to Tatranska Polianka. We found the winding forest road to the hotel. The 7-km road leads trough the Tatra National Park, but they can use by cars, who have been booked hotel rooms.

The Sliezsky House (1670 m above the sea) is a mountain hotel situated at the threshold of the Velická Valley, on the bank of Velické Mountain-lake. The first stone chalet was on the eastern end of the lake (1871). In March 1874 a show avalanche destroyed it. In 1878 another small wooden shed was built on the southeastern bank of the lake. Porters and mountain guides often used it even after the Ungarn-Carpathian Association built up the Sliezsky House in 1895. The building was rebuilt and modernized several times (especially between the years 1957 - 1960), but it completely burned down in 1962. Since 1968 at the same place, there is a modern mountain hotel of the same name.
When we arrived, was there 10 degrees and overcast skies. After unpacking we walked around the lake and climbed a few meters from one trail to close up look at the waterfall.

On Wednesday was heavy rain, dense clouds came and went.
Sometimes it cleared, we began to hope, but the situation is changed every 10 minutes, sometimes worse sometimes even worse:).

Thursday morning, the sun is shining, although was only +5 degrees. We had a quick breakfast and we headed up the Kvetnica (Flower Garden), where marmots live. The Flower Garden there is on the upper Felkai valley, beside the "Eternal Rain" , 1820-1840 m above sea level. There once was a lake, is now alpine meadow mostly , from the surrounding mountains plunging waters running to the Lake Felkai. We went just 15 minutes, the heavy rain began. You could not escape nowhere. When a little rain fell, we went forth, but then the clouds began to run up.





Maybe half an hour only, when we had no rain and no clouds. Quickly we made ​​some photos and we went in behind the cliffs, to wait for the marmots. We found lots of marmots housing, but no one came out.

3 hours later we went back. In time the path was longer, than up, the wet rocks was very slipped. In the hotel we took down all wet clothes, a heavy rain started again. Friday was our last day . The hurricane is not abated, but at least the rain stopped morning.

We breakfast, we packed up, paid and we had the best idea to go home. We descended to 600 m to Tatranska Polianka, here was a nice wether almost. Along the way we had lunch in city Brezno, then we returned home felicitously.
The trip was a bit adventurous, but the mountains were very beautiful as it is.

An irregular trip :)

About 10 days ago, preparing for an easy hike.We met with our friends in front of the Botanical Garden Vácrátót on Saturday.

The largest botanical garden in Hungary is home to 13,000 species of plants only 25 kilometres away from Budapest. The gardens was the brainchild of a sentimental earl, Sándor Vigyázó

who transformed the Vácrátót estate and its average-looking English garden. While wandering along the intimate trails under almost 200-year old trees, through fields filled with 2800 species of flowers, among rose and genarium collections, you’ll meet 62 types of nesting birds, 22 types of fish and 73 mollusk species inhabiting the garden and its waters.








We were walking in the garden is almost one and a half hours. Then we headed on foot to Veresegyház. The weather was very hot, so we rest next to a fishpond at the pub. :)

Two hours later we saw the city's church tower.

Veresegyház is town with almost 14,000 inhabitants 23 km from Budapest, in one of the valleys of Gödöllő hill-country. It is a settlement founded in Árpád´s age, first mentioned in documents in 1375. The Roman Catholic church was built in the 18th century, in the style of the age of Louis XVI. in France, with a Golgotha statue of baroque style in the garden. The village is also decorated with the statue called "Mother" made by the famous sculptor, Pál Kő. There are ponds suitable for bathing and angling in the neighbourhood of the village. Park of statues in the vicinity of the ponds with the works of the Japanese sculptor, Mitsui Sen. A warm-water medicinal bath awaits visitors during the whole year. A swimming pool is available for visitors in the territory of the elementary school opened in the evenings on weekdays and all day at weekends. Sights of the village include the Bears´ and Wolves´ Home with 42 bears and 20 wolves, located in natural environment in Külső-Patak Street.
We looked for our girlfriend's house, there was already ready for a delicious goulash.

Until evening we talked and drank fine wines, then we build up the tents.

In the morning wasn't in hurry nobody.:)
That was almost 11 o'clock am, when we start home. The walk was about. 4 km. We found the station of light rail, from here we arrived back home quickly.

My days / Meine Tage

...have been hard lately, so I skipped the blog from my life:) In my tour in Cserhat I got the notification a family tragedy, last weekend I needed travel to Transylvania. The journey was by bus 2 nights thither and back, it was very tiring.
In the meantime, I visited my relative who is in nearly 100 years old. Whereas, in the meantime I build my family tree, he's the last, who had memories of the old times. Fortunately, I found him fresh mental state.

...sind hart in letzter Zeit gewesen, also habe ich übersprungen das Blog aus meinem Leben:) In meiner Tour in Cserhát bekam ich die Meldung eine Familientragödie, am vergangenen Wochenende musste ich reisen nach Transsylvanien. Die Reise war mit dem Bus 2 Nächte dorthin und zurück, es war sehr anstrengend. In der Zwischenzeit besuchte ich meine Verwandten, der in fast 100 Jahre alt ist. Während in der Zwischenzeit habe ich meinen Stammbaum zu bauen, er ist der Letzte, der Erinnerungen an die alten Zeiten hatte. Glücklicherweise fand ich ihn frisch mentalen Zustand.


Cluj - Klausenburg,

In addition, I took my neck organization of a meeting , it's end today, thereafter will be fun only.

Darüber hinaus habe ich meinen Hals Organisation einer Tagung teilgenommen haben, es ist heute schon End , es wird nur Freude kommen.

My old school - Meine alte Schule

Is still ahead of me on a weekend camping and immediately followed a hiking to the Tatra mountain in Slovakia.

Liegt noch vor mir auf ein Wochenende Camping und sofort folgte eine Wanderung zum Hohen Tatra in der Slowakei.

In the meantime of course I need to work. In addition, I plan a weekend trip to Transylvania, thereafter just wait a vacation with my grandchild Zsolt :)

In der Zwischenzeit natürlich muss ich arbeiten. Außerdem plane ich ein Wochenende in Siebenbürgen, danach erwarte ich einen Urlaub mit meinem Enkelkind Zsolt:)

Next trip / Nächste Reise

We are making a trip to northern Hungary, near Hollókő soon.


Hollókő, a living museum village, is nestled in a picturesque hilly surrounding about 100 km from Budapest in the North of Hungary. The village has preserved the warm, person-centred, friendly atmosphere of the diminishing village-life of the accelerated XXI century. The 'Old-village' with its adjoining 141 hectare Nature Reserve was added to the Cultural and Natural Heritages of the World in 1987 for preserving unique values of folk and applied art. Nestling in one of the gentle valleys of Cserhát Mountain, the small village is a pearl of our folk architecture evoking mist shrouded memories of folk tales, representing the perfect harmony of nature and the built environment. The first written document about Hollókő´s church dates back to 1342. The original medieval church was destroyed during the Turkish occupation; the present Roman Catholic church topped with its admirable wooden spire was built in the XIX century and has, by now, become the symbol of the village. The medieval castle on top of the neighbouring hill determined the life of the villagers for a long time. The pentagonal keep was built by the Kacsics family in the middle of the XIII c. and was continuously rebuilt and enlarged. The legend which preserves the Kacsics name goes that one of the family, András (Andrew) kidnapped the daughter of the neighbouring nobleman and closed her into a room of the castle. The witch-nanny of the girl called for the evils to help, who, turning into ravens, carried away the stones of the building castle. (So was the name of Hollóko (Ravenstone) born.) The view of the Cserhát is stunning from the top of the castle.


Bald wir werden eine Reise nach Nord-Ungarn, in der Nähe von Hollókő.


Hollókő ist ein Teil des Kultur- und Naturerbes der Welt. Dieser auszeichnende Titel wurde der Gemeinde im Jahre 1987 von der UNESCO verliehen. Das kleine Sackgassendorf ist von seiner Baukunst, Volkstracht und eigenartigen Mundart berühmt. Der Zauber von Hollókő stammt von dem Dorfreservat, das aus 65 Häusern besteht und der malerischen Naturumgebung. In der Mitte der Siedlung steht die mittelalterliche Kirche, die noch mit Holzschindeln bedeckt ist. Die Einwohner gehören der Palotzen (palóc) genannten Volksgruppe. Das Farbenreichtum der örtlichen Volkstracht ist verblüffend. Das Dorfmuseum und die Spinnstube, die mit originalen handbemalten Möbeln und Gebrauchsgegenständen eingerichtet sind, beschwören treu das Alltagsleben von einst. Die Burg mit Innenturm am Berggipfel über dem Dorf blieb in relativ gutem Zustand.
Nach der letzten Brandkatastrophe wurde das Altdorf in der derzeitigen Form nach 1909 ausgestaltet,. Die 65 geschützten Wohnhäuser wurden mit abgewalmtem Satteldach und Laubengang mit Holzpfosten und Bretterbrüstung gebaut. Neben dem Gebäudekomplex der Palócen, der Kirche in Hollókô und der Burg bezieht sich der internationale Schutz auch auf dem Wein-berg um dem Dorf, deswegen wurde der 141 ha goße Naturschutzgebiet bei Hollókő ausgestaltet.

Easter weekend at Örség /Osterwochenende in Örség

Easter weekend we made a trip at South Hungary next to the border Slovenia
In the southwest corner of Vas County you can find this wonderful land with forests and meadows where guardians were settled during the Hungarian conquest. Its name derives from these: Őrség (in English: Guard or Watch post). Since 1st March 2002 the Őrség National Park Directoate has been supervising the preservation of natural, ethnographical, culture-historical values which can be found on this wonderful land. The Őrség National Park consists of the Őrség, Vend country, the unregulated valley of River Rába, the Inner-Őrség and the neighbourhood of Szentgyörgy Valley. All together it covers 44 townships, on about 44.000 acres, whereof 3086 acres are particularly protected. The whole territory of the national park is a Natura 2000 area under European Union-wide Protection. This land is the westernmost part of Hungary, where hills and valleys engraved by brooks, deciduous forests and pinewoods, fresh and green meadows, marshlands preserving plants from the ice age, and crystal clean spring-heads and brooks vary. Here are silence and the fresh air, the cultural traditions. Due to the high annual precipitation this area is rich in springs and brooks. One of the most significant rivers of the territory is the Zala (Szala), which springs north from Szalafő and flows through the Őrség. The other one is the Kerka joining into River Mura. On the North border of the National Park mainly the River Rába flows which is rough water, uncontrolled river.
63% of the Őrség is covered by woods and forests, which is 3,5 times more than the nationwide average. This area is the richest in mushrooms nationwide. You can find the delicious bolete, yellow chanterelle and various species of russula. Beside the well-known mushroom species real specialities can be found as well, as the Hygrocybe and Hygrophorus fungus which is the peculiarity of the Alps. The valuable bird species of the countryside are the black stork, the honey-buzzard, the corncrake, the blue pigeon, the crossbill, the bullfinch and the firecrest. The game population is significant as well, wild-boar, roe and red deer also occurs there. Őrség is also rich in folk architectural and cultural-historical relics. The settlement structure shows a unique picture, these are the so-called ‘szeres’ settlements. The ‘szerek’ are groups of houses built on the hill top, which structure comes from the time of
Hungarian conquest. The most well-known house types are the smoky-kitchen houses, furthermore the so called rounded houses. These buildings can be seen at their original place and environment in Szalafő-Pityerszer at the Őrség Folk Monument Ensembles. Belfries also count as folk architecture masterpieces. The Vend-country is characterized by the so-called sparse settlement structure. Building stone castles was not typical in the historical Őrség, the medieval fortress-type churches took over their role. Őriszentpéter and Velemér ancient monument churches are nice examples for these relics.






Osterwochenende machten wir einen Ausflug in Südungarn an der Grenze Slowenien
Eingebettet zwischen Wäldern und Auen befindet sich diese herrliche Landschaft in der südwestlichen Ecke Ungarns, wohin die landnehmenden Magyaren Warten zur Verteidigung des Tores nach Westen aufgestellt haben. Daher stammt auch der
Name der Region: Õrség (= Warte auf Deutsch).
Die Õrség ist die einzige Region in Ungarn, in der die Bewohnerschaft seit der Landnahme in ununterbrochener Sesshaftigkeit lebt. Durch die Jahrhunderte über haben die Leute hierzulande das Gesicht der Landschaft in einer Harmonie mit der Natur geformt und haben mit ihrer Kleinparzellenwirtschaft und mit ihren in die Landschaft anschmiegenden Gebäuden eine langfristig erhaltbare Vielfalt geschaffen. In dieser Landschaft wechseln sich durch Hügel und von Bächen gebohrte Täler, Laub- und Tannenwälder, sanfte und grüne Wiesen, Restfauna aus der Eiszeit, die aus der Eiszeit stammende Restflora bewahrenden Moorwiesen, kristallklare Quellen und Bäche. Die Ruhe, die frische Luft, die unverändert bewahrte Volkstraditionen und Gewerbe (Flechten von Obstdörrkörben, Töpferei, Kürbiskernölpressung), sowie Bräuche und die Produkte aus der eigenen Bauernwirtschaft (Kürbiskernöl, Honigschnaps, Geiß- und Kuhkäse) ziehen Besucher und Besucherinnen an. Der Nationalpark der Region Õrség schafft den geschützten Rahmen für die Bewahrung naturbedingter, kulturhistorischer und folkloristischer Werte in der Landschaft. Die Anzahl der zum Naturschutz erklärten Floraartan liegt über Hundert. Die blumigen Heuwiesen und nassen Wiesen, Obstwiesen, weit verbreiteten Wälder, die vielfältige Schmetterlingsfauna und der bunte Wildbestand bieten ebenfalls ein pures Erlebnis vom Eintauchen in die Natur. Die lokalen Gegebenheiten verleihen das ideale Gelände für die Fans des Schwammerlsuchens. Die Weilersiedlungen bzw. zerstreuten Siedlungen, die volkstümlichen Wohnhäuser, die Glockenstühle, die Kirchen aus der Árpád-Zeit oder die volkstümliche Denkmalgruppe und die Welt der Gehöfte bieten eine reiche Palette an kulturellen Werten.

Typical old houses / Typische alte Häuser


Churches / Kirchen


Bell-towers / Glockentürme


We not only walked:) / Abends Moments

Jubilee

50 years ago on 21. April The Beatles debuted at the Cavern Club in Liverpool :)

La semaine dernière / Last week / Letzte Woche

La semaine dernière, j'ai participé à la réunion d'avocat à côté de la frontière autrichienne à Sopron. Dernière Octobre j'ai écrit un post en détail sur la ville ici.

Hôtel Siesta était pratique, l'offre abondante à des prix raisonnables. Nous avons entendu de nombreuses présentations intéressantes, professionnellement signifie beaucoup. Dans l'intervalle, a réussi à faire un petit voyage à travers la frontière dans la ville de Eisenstadt.

Samedi soir, c'est juste que je suis rentré, vous êtes allé à un concert.

Zsuzsa (Susan) Koncz est ma génération, 3 ans plus tard, il chantait pendant 50 ans, mais cela ne veut pas dire que ce soit. Sa voix est la même que dans les années passées. Les paroles de chansons est important, cela peut être mieux comprise en hongrois. Zsuzsa est une chanteuse hongroise, née le 7 mars 1946. Sa carrière a commencée en 1962 avec le groupe Oméga et inclut le rock & roll, le folk, le country, la musique populaire et la chanson. Depuis la deuxième moitié des années soixante elle a chanté avec le groupe Illés et avec cet ensemble elle a enregistré ses 5 premiers albums. Au cours des années quatre-vingt elle a été accompagnée par le groupe Fonograf. Dans le monde allemand elle est aussi connue.
Zsuzsa Koncz n'a jamais été impressionné par la pression commerciale ou politique. Elle était très populaire et n'a pas hésité à chanter des thèmes politiquement sensibles - quelquefois d'une façon cachée. En 1983 elle a enregistré Karpathyek Lany (la Fille et le Village), sur les événements tragiques pendant l'Insurrection de Budapest en 1956. Son oeuvre a reçu beaucoup de prix en Hongrie et en France elle a reçu la décoration la plus haute possible: l’Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur. Le 1 mai 2004 elle a apparu sur scène pour le concert Une Fête pour Tout le monde à Zittau en Allemagne, pour célébrer le premier jour de l'adhésion à l'Union Européenne de la Hongrie et de neuf autres pays.
La rose Jaune...
Cet chanson a été écrites et chantées sous le régime de János Kádár. Elles l’ont été avec poésie et doigté, en tenant compte de la « réalité » politique du moment pour éviter l’interdiction. D’autres groupes musicaux écrivains, cinéastes ont fait de même. Ces chansons étaient un point de ralliement de l’opposition démocratique de cette période. Il est fort intéressant de voir que ces chansons sont aujourd’hui le symbole de la défense des libertés pour les jeunes hongrois qui n’ont pas connu cette époque. La présence parmi ces jeunes, des anciens de l’opposition démocratique les plus déterminés est sans doute d’une grande importance.

Tu crois que la rose jaune s’ouvrira encore,
Tu crois que nous accepterons les mensonges
Tu crois que nous pardonnerons tout toujours
Tu crois que nous nierons nos rêves
Qu’il serait beau d’être ensemble parmi les fleurs, ma chérie
Il n’y a plus de fleurs, ni toi même
Pourquoi avons nous laissé les choses comme ça
Ne crois pas que cela est bon comme ça,
n’importe qui le dit
Ne crois pas que tout va bien,
n’importe qui veut t’attraper
Ne crois pas que nous sommes changés par un mot d’ordre
Ne crois pas que la rose jaune va encore s’ouvrir ….

Last week I took part in a lawyer's meeting next to the Austrian border in Sopron.
Last October I wrote a post in detail about the city here .
Hotel Siesta was convenient , the abundant supply at reasonable prices. We heard many interesting presentations, professionally meant a lot. In the meantime, managed to make a small trip across the border at city Eisenstadt.
Saturday evening, just that I came home, you went to a concert.
Zsuzsa (Susan) Koncz is my generation, 3 years later he was singing for 50 years, but this does not say about anyone. His voice is the same as in the past years.
The lyrics of songs is important, this can best be understood in Hungarian
Here you can read about it in English and German.


Letzte Woche war ich in einem Sitzung des Anwalts bei der österreichischen Grenze in Sopron. Im Oktober letzten Jahres schrieb ich ausführlich über die Stadt. Das Hotel Siesta war bequem, die reichliche Versorgung zu angemessenen Preisen. Wir hörten viele interessante Vorträge, professionell sehr viel bedeutet. In der Zwischenzeit gelungen, einen kleinen Ausflug über die Grenze ist in Eisenstadt.
Samstag Abend, nur dass ich nach Hause kam, ging man zu einer Koncert. Zsuzsa (Shusha)Koncz ist meiner Generation, 3 Jahre später wird sie für 50 Jahre lang auf der Bühne, aber nicht über jemanden sagen. Seine Stimme ist die gleiche wie in der Vergangenheit. Die Texte der Songs sind wirklich verstehen, in ungarische Sprache.
Sie können darüber lesen Sie hier deutsch und englisch