site.btaBulgaria-Hungary Friendship Will Be Celebrated with Series of Events Next Week

A series of cultural events in Bulgaria and Hungary will mark the Day of Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship, celebrated annually on October 19 since 2016, said for BTA’s BG World section Svetla Kyoseva, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Hemus cultural and social magazine.

This year, the main event will take place in Bulgaria. At Smolyan’s Nikolay Haytov Rhodope Drama Theatre, a concert by Nikolay Ivanov OM, Gabriela Hadzhikostova, and Petar Chuhov will be held, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Hungarian poet and translator of Bulgarian folk poetry, Laszlo Nagy (1925–1978). The presidents of both countries are expected to attend the celebration.

Bulgarians in Hungary will also mark the holiday with exhibitions and flower-laying ceremonies. On October 15, an exhibition of the recipients of the Majarov award will open in Budapest.

Miklos Mazsaroff (1929–1997) was an artist of Bulgarian descent and the recipient of Hungary’s highest recognition for visual artists—the Munkacsy award. He was one of the most prominent artists of his time and a notable art organizer. The Miklos Mazsaroff Award was established by his widow, Dr. Maria Nikolaeva, in 2008. Since then, the award has become a prestigious recognition that, alongside preserving the memory of Maszaroff, supports the early careers of many young artists connected to Miskolc, explained Svetla Kyoseva.

On October 16, an exhibition will open at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute, featuring Hungarian and Bulgarian artists from Hungary. The exhibition is organized by the Bulgarian Cultural Forum, which unites Bulgarian artists in Hungary.

On October 17, at the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum – Skanzen in Szentendre, diplomas will be awarded for the inclusion of four new elements in the intangible cultural heritage register. Among them is Bulgarian gardening in Hungary. This is an exceptional achievement for the Bulgarian community in the country and recognition of its active participation in the cultural life of Hungary and in the cultural dialogue between the two countries, noted Svetla Kyoseva.

On October 18, flowers will be laid in front of the memorial plaque at the cathedral church in Esztergom, where a plaque of St. John of Rila, created by sculptor Ognyan Kozhuharov from Hungary, is placed.

In 2016, the parliaments of Bulgaria and Hungary adopted that the Day of Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship be celebrated on October 19 - the day of St. John of Rila the Miracle Worker.

What is the connection of the saint with Hungary?

In 1183, his relics were transferred from Sredets (present-day Sofia) to the religious center of Hungary, Esztergom. A few years later, in 1187, they were returned back to Bulgaria. This historic moment symbolizes the deep cultural and spiritual roots of the bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Hungary.

Since then, every year on this date, cultural events, exhibitions, concerts, and initiatives are organized both in Bulgaria and Hungary to celebrate the friendship between the two peoples.