Yesterday, November 13 was the Day of the Hungarian language. It was on this day in 1844 that Austrian Emperor and King of Hungary Ferdinand I – after much to and fro with the Hungarian Parliament – signed into law the parliament’s decision to make Hungarian the official language of the country (as opposed to Latin).
On the anniversary,a Romanian man called Tudor Duică posted the following message to Facebook, which we offer you in full:
Today, November 13 we celebrate the Day of the Hungarian Language.
It is a recognition of the role Hungarians played in the history of Transylvania and Banat (Bánát) over the past more than 1,000 years.
The Hungarians – like the Saxons and the Romanians – are indigenous and an integral part of what is Romania today.
They are one of the three major ethnic groups that founded Transylvania and our current lifestyle, the appearance of our towns and villages is mainly due to their political, religious and cultural contribution.
I wish my Hungarian brothers that they live the day when the Romanian state will be a good mother and not a stepmother to them and all of the inhabitants of Tranyslvania.
Be they Hungarian s or Szeklers, Romanians or Macedo-Romanians, Roma or Jewish, Saxons or Zipzers, Ruthenians or Poles, Armenians or Slovaks, be they Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Judaist or Muslim.
I wish them to learn to regain trust in their Romanian brethren, together with whom they can fulfill an old dream: a Transylvania that is a place of mutual acceptance and respect for all its inhabitants.
To paraphrase a great politician from Banat, Sever Bocu, Transylvania must become our “narrower homeland”.
I wish you more wisdom and patience in explaining and putting forward your requests in a way that the Romanians – and especially those living in other regions – can get to know you the way you really are…
I hug you with love and say from my heart:
Boldog születésnapot, magyar testvéreim !!! (Happy birthday, Hungarian brethren)
P.S. On November 13, 1844 Hungarian was adopted as the official language of Hungary.
