Craftsmen from Szeklerland at the HUNGAstRY festival in Brussels
Illustrious craftsmen of Szeklerland made the program of the HUNGAstRY festival in Brussels more colorful by presenting folkloric skill games and traditional crafts’ presentation. The traditional Hungarian values were presented in the capital of Europe by the artisans of the Artera Foundation with the support of Csaba Sógor.
The Permanent Representation of Hungary to the European Union hosted again the Hungarian Festival in Brussels (HUNGAstRY) on 8-9 September in the Cinquantenaire park of Brussels. During the two-day-long festival well-known Hungarian artists performed on the main stage, set up at the Triumphal Arch. The program of the festival offered mostly Hungarian food and drinks, but promoted handicraft products, traditional crafts’ presentation and folk toys as well. At the stands of the Artera Foundation, guests themselfs could also enjoy crafting on the workshops held by the artisans.
"We are very pleased that on our recommendation the Permanent Representation of Hungary has included in the festival program the activities offered by the Artera Foundation that aim to promote traditional values. The international audience in Brussels got familiarized with traditional crafts and folkloric activities for children that can hardly be found in this part of Europe " - said Csaba Sógor. The RMDSZ MEP thinks that in these times when Europe is searching for a new identity, it is important to rediscover our thousand-year-old traditional values and to focus our attention on protecting them. "We presented numerous Transylvanian customs in Europe and more is coming. The future of Europe lies in strong communities - we stressed - also meaning that we aim to protect our values and our traditions that enrich Europe" – explained the MEP.
"A long-standing dream came true by getting the chance to visit Brussels with the support of Csaba Sógor. A door was opened in front of us. It isn’t exaggerated to state that our playground proved to be the most popular program of the even" – evaluated the event in Brussels Zsuzsanna Lőrincz, President of the Artera Foundation. They presented the traditions brought from Transylvania, and the craftsmen of Szeklerland could feel the real value of their work first-hand, as the feedbacks were unanimously positive. "The audience has been curious about our traditional products, adults and children alike were interested to join our games and crafts", said Zsuzsanna Lőrincz.
