Grape Harvest Festival at Dobra
Dobra from Satu Mare County was the venue for a double celebration on the 20th of October when the meeting of the descendants from the locality took place during the fifth edition of the Grape Harvest Festival. With his origins in the village, MEP Csaba Sógor is a regular guest of the village’s autumn event.
The fifth edition of the Grape Harvest Festival started with a cooking contest, followed by a traditional invitation to ball and a festive sermon at the Reformed church. The celebration continued at the Turul (the mythical bird of the Hungarian people) statue erected five years ago in the church yard, where MP István Erdei D., school director Zoltán Suhó and DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor delivered festive speeches.
“One of my ancestors received a letter of nobility in 1650 from György Rákóczi himself for having defended the homeland with his sword”, said Csaba Sógor at the memorial to the victims of the two world wars. “Let us remember those who came before us: names, faces, parents, brothers, the deceased and those still living. Let us not forget, that our forefathers lived from the earth and defended this land with their swords. Remembering is only useful if these names, faces, stories, lands and swords are not only the history of one man or one village, but the history of a community, because otherwise this commemoration would only be a futile cry over the past”, said the Hungarian MEP from Transylvania.
In the view of Csaba Sógor the world is changing around us, we do not need to defend our lands with our swords anymore and we do not just have to work the land, but we have to do better and more, making use of our knowledge. “We do not need martyrs today, we need heroic survivors who, based on their forefathers’ knowledge, work the land better and love their community and homeland more. The victims of the world wars died for their country in an inhumane war, many of them far away from their homeland. Today some say that we should compete with each other, that we should fight for the same goals separately. They want us to believe that if we run against each other in the elections, if we are divided, it will be in our benefit” – said the MEP.
The event ended with the placing of wraiths at the Turul statue, followed by a cultural programme presented by the youth of the village and the harvest celebration. The profits of the evening will be donated to the local church for the building of a funeral chapel.
“One of my ancestors received a letter of nobility in 1650 from György Rákóczi himself for having defended the homeland with his sword”, said Csaba Sógor at the memorial to the victims of the two world wars. “Let us remember those who came before us: names, faces, parents, brothers, the deceased and those still living. Let us not forget, that our forefathers lived from the earth and defended this land with their swords. Remembering is only useful if these names, faces, stories, lands and swords are not only the history of one man or one village, but the history of a community, because otherwise this commemoration would only be a futile cry over the past”, said the Hungarian MEP from Transylvania.
In the view of Csaba Sógor the world is changing around us, we do not need to defend our lands with our swords anymore and we do not just have to work the land, but we have to do better and more, making use of our knowledge. “We do not need martyrs today, we need heroic survivors who, based on their forefathers’ knowledge, work the land better and love their community and homeland more. The victims of the world wars died for their country in an inhumane war, many of them far away from their homeland. Today some say that we should compete with each other, that we should fight for the same goals separately. They want us to believe that if we run against each other in the elections, if we are divided, it will be in our benefit” – said the MEP.
The event ended with the placing of wraiths at the Turul statue, followed by a cultural programme presented by the youth of the village and the harvest celebration. The profits of the evening will be donated to the local church for the building of a funeral chapel.
