Festivity in the year of Pável Ágoston
The 6th edition of the
meeting of the Hungarian Slovenes
Szentgotthárd, 2006/08/19
Like
a year ago, the Hungarian Slovenes celebrated a reunion day in
Szentgotthárd (Monošter). Apparently, this year’s
supporting programme differed from last year’s edition introducing a
special guest: the daughter of Pável Ágoston.
Like last year, the guests
met at the House of the Slovenes (Slovenski
Dom) in Szentgotthárd. However, unlike the year 2005 the visitors
did not meet outside, but inside a marquee. There they had both welcoming
schnaps, which was served by a couple dressed in traditional Porabje costumes,
and snacks. Freshly-invigorated the guests then left the marquee and headed
for the church. Like last year, church service was held by Ferenc Merkli, the
Roman-Catholic priest of Felsõszölnök (Gornji Senik), in
Slovene language.
Pável
Ágoston in sound and vision
Subsequent to the mass, the
cultural programme took place in the theatre of Szentgotthárd. Last
year, both politicians from Slovenia
and Hungary
made speeches and children folklore groups and a dance group performed on
stage. This year, the organizers seemed to be fully obliged to the Slovene
poet Pável Ágoston. The year 2006 is the commemoration year of
this great Slovene poet and ethnologist, who was born 120 years ago and died
60 years ago. After the Slovene and Hungarian national anthems had been
played, the president of the Slovene self-administration in Hungary, Martin Ropoš, welcomed the
guests and reminded the Slovenes in Hungary to register for the
coming self-administration elections on October 1. What is more, he asked
them to cultivate their Slovene mother tongue by communicating in Slovene and
by keeping the traditional songs alive. The ethnologist Marija Mukič was
the host of the cultural programme, which was held in Slovene and Hungarian.
In her laudation she depicted the biography of the poet Pável
Ágoston and presented a multilingual (Slovene, Hungarian, German)
video documentary about the life and work of the ethnologist. With special appreciation
Ropoš, amongst others, thanked Judith Ágoston, the poet’s
daughter, for her visit. The cultural part of the meeting was rounded off by
three Pável Ágoston choirs from Austria,
Hungary and Slovenia,
which were personally introduced by Mrs Mukič, and which then performed
some of their songs.
Entertaining
get-together instead of long trip
Last year, the cultural
programme had begun in the theatre as well, however, subsequent to it the
guests went on a bus trip to Cankova (Slovenia), the birth-place of
Pável Ágoston. By popular request, the organizers of this
year’s meeting of the Hungarian Slovenes dispensed with trips of any
kind. People preferred a jovial get-together with friends and relatives,
those present said. Complying with this wish the guests returned to the
marquee after the cultural programme had ended in order to discuss animatedly,
to dance or to savour local specialties. The celebration lasted well into the
night, and one can be curious about the programme the organizers will come up
with for next year’s reunion.
Pictures Joël Gerber / Tibor Horvat
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