Mate Vincze said the events show that "while the nation has been torn by the storms of history, its heroes were able to draw strength from adversity and Hungarians emerged stronger from the conflicts". "Let us be proud of our heritage and traditions, which are worth showcasing both locally and in Europe," he added.

Tradition and identity are key words in a nation's history, and although they cannot be measured, there are signs that show if a settlement or community is strong in its traditions, he said.

Vincze acknowledged the Kerka Folk Dance Ensemble, established in 1973, which deepens the interest in Hungarian folk dance and folk culture in children, "who learn about our traditions through the dances".

In connection with the presentation of local awards, he noted the Csoori Sandor Programme, a scheme for communities that keep their traditions alive, implemented from government funding of 2.5 billion forints. Its aim is to ensure that Hungarian culture and identity will live on in the generations to come, he added.

Meanwhile, EU Presidency - Official: European leaders will remain on wrong path without guidance from religious communities

European leaders will "remain on the wrong path", serving economic interests over communities, without the guidance of religious communities, the state secretary for church and minority relations said in Budapest on Friday.

Miklos Soltesz told a conference organised as part of Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union that selfishness had come to the fore in Europe's leadership, and "ideologies that are twisting the interests of the created world" had emerged.
 

He said the EU's migration policy also threatened the continent, arguing that it aimed to address the bloc's labour shortage problems instead of the EU providing unconditional help to migrants' countries of origin.
 

Cardinal Peter Erdo, the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, highlighted the changes seen in the legal handling of religion and religious communities in certain European countries.

He said that in certain countries religious education had been turned into education about religion and a "cultural offer" suggesting not just civic equality and equal human dignity, but also the "relativity of religious belief".

Bishop Jozsef Steinbach, president of the Synod of the Reformed Church in Hungary, said the biggest challenge in Christian service was reaching those who had completely different views of the world.

Andor Grosz, the head of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities Mazsihisz, said that since Hamas's terrorist attack against Israel a year ago, anti-Semitism in many countries had reached a high not seen for decades.

But while surveys showed that 76 percent of Jews in the EU avoided wearing clothing that could be identified as Jewish, the Jewish community in Budapest felt safe to practise their faith because the Hungarian government guaranteed their safety.

Orban: Hungary 'sets example for Europeans against their own governments'

Hungary serves as an example for European citizens in opposition to their own governments on issues such as migration, energy policy, economic policy and the approach to the Russia-Ukraine war, the prime minister told public broadcaster Kossuth Radio on Friday.

Viktor Orban said in an interview that the EU was currently facing the biggest challenges in areas that Hungary had found answers to, pointing to migration, the utility price caps and the war in Ukraine as examples. "What we are doing in Hungary is more or less what the European people would like to see at home, but their governments are doing the opposite."

Hungary was therefore "unwittingly posing a challenge to EU countries with bad policies"; this also increased Hungary's weight in the bloc, he said. Noting that he had met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last week and is scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron the next, Orban said "Hungary's way of doing things and its success clearly increases its weight in foreign affairs."

"I think our influence is greater than what the country's size and actual economic and military strength would warrant," he said.
 

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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