22 January
The Day of Hungarian Culture

22 January – The Day of Hungarian Culture

Commemorations held on this anniversary provide an opportunity to pay greater attention to our millennia-old traditions and roots, to strengthen our national identity, and to showcase and pass on the tangible and intellectual values that evoke our past.

On the Day of Hungarian Culture, readers can learn about Ferenc Kölcsey, the history of the Hymn, and events and award ceremonies associated with this national remembrance day.

The Day of Hungarian Culture has been celebrated on 22 January since 1989, in honour of the fact that—according to the manuscript—Ferenc Kölcsey finalised and dated the text of the Hymn on this day in 1823 in Cseke, as part of a larger manuscript collection.

The idea of commemorating Hungarian culture was first proposed by pianist Árpád Fasang in 1985. In his words, “This day also serves to raise awareness of the fact that we can draw from a thousand-year-old heritage and that we have much to be proud of, as this nation has contributed greatly to the culture of Europe and the world. This heritage gives us strength, it is something to be managed wisely, and it can even help us face the challenges of today.”

The initiative to formally mark the day was launched at the December 1988 session of the National Council of the Patriotic People’s Front, which also organised the first series of events in January 1989.

Since December 2022, the Day of Hungarian Culture has been recognised as an official state remembrance day.