The Hungarian Revolution March 15, 1848

The classic tale of Fat Cats (nobility) not wanting to pay taxes, Poor People (peasants, Unitarians and friends) being milked and can't vote.  Patriots Day, Boston Tea Party, Occupy and 4th of July, all rolled into one in the Hapsburg Empire in 1848.

Kolozsvar March 15-17, 2013

All Hungarian (Unitarian) Schools Closed and many Unitarians take day off as personal day.

Holiday for Hungarians, not Romanians, i.e. not a national holiday.

 Below-Standing room only at Interfaith Independence Day service at St. Mitchael's in Kolozsvar. Now Catholic, Unitarian Francis David preached here for many years and it remained Unitarian for 150 years. Obviously, service was entirely in Hungarian.

Below- entrance to Interfaith Independence Day Service-

Lutherans, Catholics, Reformed and Unitarians- all Hungarians in Romania. 

Note sprinkling of snow on trees.

Central Square, Kolozsvar BELOW, and Saint Michael's Church. This is where Ron Cordes shot much of Transylvania history section on his DVD, A Long Strange Journey. Unitarian Church and  Headquarters is about 3 blocks from here.

Sunday, March 17- three blocks away at Kolozsar Unitarian Church

Ministry Students' Sunday

Below- Unitarian Theological students rehearsing before the 11 am service. On Thursday evenong I was watching PBS videos in my room about 10pm and hear bold, loud minor key singing echoing up the hallways of this monumental building.  It was passionate and strong.  It was these students claiming their hard-won idendity. Unfortunately these renditions are milder.(press arrows)

Kolozsvar Unitarian Church (mother church), headquarters to right.

Below- Students rehearsing play before service for Magyar (Hungarian) Independence play.

Below-Church fills, in the end about one third full. Many older folks (many significantly shorter than Americans) but several families and young adults.Note organ in balcony, no stained windows.

Below- Note female student preacher, Julie, in raised pulpit.  Students half female/half male.

Below- Ministers speaks to congregation at the end. No idea of any content- all in Hungarian.

Below- "coffee hour," chatting on the street after service.  Bishop's back on left. Very friendly, jovial guy.

Below- Unitarian Seminary, yellow with red dome on right, about two blocks from the U Church and HQ.  Part of consortium of Protestant Theological School (Reformed, Lutheran and Unitarian). Uli (student) told me Unitarians had their own seminary housed in HQ building before the Communists.  The Communists forced all the Protestant seminaries together so they could be better controlled.  After fall of Coucesceau in 1989, Protestants remained together because it was more economical.  Catholic Seminary is across the street.