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ELEK BENEDEK MEMORIAL YEAR
Over the past few years, the Carola Association, in partnership with the Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy) Balassi Institute, has devoted particular attention to the presentation of national cultural values. This is why members of the organization joined the Year of Families, the main festivals in Transylvania (Hungarian Cultural Days of Kolozsvár /Cluj-Napoca/, Vásárhely Fair), and last year the Elek Benedek memorial year.
In Háromszék (Three Counties), 2019 was declared the Elek Benedek memorial year since last year marked the 160th anniversary of the birth, and 90th anniversary of the death of the hugely talented writer, storyteller and editor. The Carola Association was one of the chief sponsors of the memorial year. Events, competitions, exhibitions and book presentations organized on this occasion promoted the commitment to culture, the values of Székely Land (Székelyföld) embodied in the lifework of Elek Benedek, the importance of early recognition of talent, the will to achieve and cohesion.
The Carola Association joined more than 20 events associated with the anniversary. The first event in the memorial year was the Elek Benedek children’s drawing competition, which reached more than 1500 young people. Winning pictures were set up in open-air displays in Bățanii Mici (Kisbacon) and Sfântu Gheorghe. It was a particular pleasure that at the end of the year a book entitled Nine Tales of Elek Benedek, using material from the competition, was published.
Several other events were also arranged nationwide on the occasion of the commemoration: an Elek Benedek memorial exhibition and book presentations were held in Bucharest, Brâncovenești (Marosvécs) and Târgu Secuiesc (Kézdivásárhely), the county Storyteller Meeting of kindergarten children was again held in Háromszék, while at the 10th Hungarian Cultural Days of Kolozsvár fairy tales were screened. In September 2019, celebrations in honour of Elek Benedek were held in several places: a plaque commemorating Elek Benedek was unveiled in Turia (Torja), in Baraolt (Barót) a full statue of Elek Benedek was officially inaugurated, and in Bățanii Mici an all-day event series was staged marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Elek Benedek Memorial House.
Elek Benedek was similarly commemorated in some towns and cities in Hungary. In the Valley of Beautiful Women in Eger, visitors could learn more about the oeuvre of Father Elek through his fairy tale books, publications and exhibition of his lifework. In the IX district of Budapest, young and old alike could wander with Father Elek through the empire of stories, the ‘fairy tale forest’ on Ferenc Square, over the course of nine days.
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