The Gergely Baczkamadarasi Kis Reformed College in Székelyudvarhely, established by János Bethlen, Chancellor of Transylvania, in 1670, was preparing a worthy program to celebrate the 350th anniversary of its establishment. Due to the coronavirus, the original plans had to be canceled, and after being postponed several times, the school staff, teachers and students adapted the ceremony to the current circumstances, Hungarian news portal in Romania Székelyhon.ro reports.
The school was preparing a scientific conference, a camp and even an exhibition to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the institute this year, but, due to the pandemic situation, the programs were postponed several times. At first, they were pushed to the autumn, to be held at the same time as the school-opening ceremonies, but after being rescheduled several times, it became clear to the school administration that the jubilee could not be held as planned. So, they adapted to the current situation.
The management of the school did not give up on its series of scientific lectures discussing the three and a half centuries of the institution’s existence, and these professional presentations, which may also be interesting for the general public, will now take place next year.
“It will be a bit awkward to celebrate the jubilee in the 351st year of the establishment, but we designed such quality presentations that it would be a waste to cancel them completely,” the director of the school, Zsolt Tőkés, told Székelyhon.ro. The director also said that during the autumn, when the safety measures were eased, they organized a student camp where 100 people were able to learn about the school’s history.
The celebration happened without a big fuss, as the current situation did not allow for the organization of events, Zsolt Tőkés told Székelyhon. However, the institute prepared a school tableau, which presents the current community, and a brochure with the names and photos of students now learning at the school. The school administration, as a part of the celebration, also placed a memorial plaque in the building marking this special year.
The school director attributes the creation of the book on the school’s history to providence. Zsolt Tőkés told Székelyhon.ro that he knows how hard it is to collect 350 years of history, so he never hoped that the book would be published and presented in the jubilee year. “But this is not what happened. I called the former school pastor, István Márton Bekő, for help, directions, as I knew he studied the history of the school with scientific interest. But he told me he had already written it,” Tőkés said. Photographer Hunor Magyari also contributed to the creation of the volume. “Literary historian Gyula Dávid has to do some small editorial things, but otherwise the publication is ready. On the other hand, we will leave the presentation until next year to see if it will be possible to hold a book presentation,” the head of the institution added.
However, the school administration will no longer postpone the exhibition of the school’s history, but it will move it online. “The basis of the museum of Székelyudvarhely stands on the collection of the Reformed College, as Rezső Haáz, whom the museum was named after, was a teacher in the College, so his collection of coins as well as his ethnographic collections were all in the possession of the college. Similarly, most of the files of the documentation library were the property of the college. So the history of the school is linked to the history of the museum,” Tőkés said. The exhibition will be open for a longer period of time, so hopefully, in the spring, it may be visited in person.
The director of the school also admitted that despite all of their efforts, the celebration was not complete. “Without the students, it just does not feel perfect,” Zsolt Tőkés said.
“I give the community a bigger role than individual performance. If there is individual achievement, that is just icing on the cake. However, community represents for me the key to survival; it is, for me, the only assurance for the future — to believe in a God, a homeland and a nation. And we are preaching this and educate the children according to this,” Tőkés concluded.
Title image: The Gergely Baczkamadarasi Kis Reformed College in Székelyudvarhely was established by János Bethlen, Chancellor of Transylvania in 1670. Photo: refkol.ro
