Nandor's Journals

SzÃ©kely Land

SzÃ©kely Land (Hungarian: SzÃ©kelyfÃ¶ld; Latin: Terra Siculorum; Romanian: Å¢inutul Secuiesc) refers to the territories inhabited by the SzÃ©kely, a Hungarian minority living in the centre of Romania. They live in the valleys and hills of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, corresponding to the present-day Harghita, Covasna, and parts of MureÅŸ Counties in Romania.

Originally, the name SzÃ©kely Land, or Szekler Land denoted an autonomous region within Transylvania. It existed as a legal entity since medieval times until 1876, when it's role was replaced by the county system.

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[edit] Population

Szekely Land as envisaged by the autonomy supporters

There are approximately 670,000 SzÃ©kelys living in SzÃ©kely Land, or 59% of the populations of Harghita, Covasna and MureÅŸ counties. The percentage of SzÃ©kelys is higher in Harghita and Covasna (84.6% and 73.8% respectively), and lower in MureÅŸ county, which was not entirely part of the traditional region (39.3%).

[edit] Geography

Traditional SzÃ©kely Land (19th century)

Historically centred in the town of TÃ¢rgu-MureÅŸ (MarosvÃ¡sÃ¡rhely), other important centers of SzÃ©kely Land are Miercurea Ciuc (CsÃkszereda), SfÃ¢ntu Gheorghe (SepsiszentgyÃ¶rgy), and Odorheiu Secuiesc (SzÃ©kelyudvarhely).

[edit] History

Further information: History of the SzÃ©kely people

From the 12th and 13th centuries until 1876, the SzÃ©kely Land enjoyed a considerable but varying amount of autonomy, first as a part of the Kingdom of Hungary, then inside the Principality of Transylvania, and finally as a part of the Habsburg Empire. The autonomy was largely due to the military service the SzÃ©kely provided until the beginning of the 18th century. Medieval SzÃ©kely Land was an alliance of the seven autonomous SzÃ©kely Seats of Udvarhely, CsÃk, Maros, Sepsi, KÃ©zdi, Orbai and Aranyos. The number of seats later decreased to five, when Sepsi, KÃ©zdi and Orbai Seats were united into one territorial unit called HÃ¡romszÃ©k (literally Three Seats).
As a result of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, Transylvania became again part of the Kingdom of Hungary within Austria-Hungary and ceased to exist as a separate legal or administrative entity. In 1876, a general administrative reform abolished all the autonomous areas in the Kingdom of Hungary and created a unified system of counties. As a result, the autonomy of the SzÃ©kely Land came to an end as well. Four counties were created in its place: Udvarhely, HÃ¡romszÃ©k, CsÃk, and Maros-Torda. (Only half of the territory of Maros-Torda originally belonged to SzÃ©kely Land.) The isolated AranyosszÃ©k became a district of Torda-Aranyos county.
In the Treaty of Trianon of 1920 following World War I, the Kingdom of Romania acquired Transylvania. The Romanian language officially replaced Hungarian in SzÃ©kely Land, but SzÃ©kely county boundaries were preserved, and SzÃ©kely districts were able to elect their own officials at local level and to preserve a Hungarian-language education.
In 1940, Romania was forced to cede Northern Transylvania to Hungary in the Second Vienna Award; this territory included most of the historical SzÃ©kely areas. Hungarian authorities subsequently restored the pre-Trianon structure with slight modifications.

A SzÃ©kely village in Covasna County, with the Southern Carpathians in the background

Following the territory's return to Romania after World War II, a Hungarian Autonomous Region was created in 1952, which encompassed most of the land inhabited by the SzÃ©kely. This region lasted until 1968 when the administrative reform divided Romania into the current counties. Roughly speaking, present-day Harghita County encompasses the former Udvarhely and CsÃk; Covasna County covers more or less the territory HÃ¡romszÃ©k; and what used to be Maros-Torda is part of present-day MureÅŸ County. The former AranyosszÃ©k is today divided between Cluj and Alba Counties.
After the fall of Communism, many hoped that the former Hungarian Autonomous Region, abolished by the Ceausescu Regime, would soon be restored again. This has not come true, however, there are SzÃ©kely autonomy initiatives^[1]^[2] and further efforts from SzÃ©kely organisations to reach a higher level of self-governance for SzÃ©kely Land within Romania.

SzÃ©kely himnusz - Szeklerlands anthem

SZÃ‰KELY HIMNUSZ

Ki tudja merre, merre visz a vÃ©gzet
GÃ¶rÃ¶ngyÃ¶s Ãºton, sÃ¶tÃ©t Ã©jjelen.
SegÃtsd mÃ©g egyszer gyÃ´zelemre nÃ©ped,
Csaba kirÃ¡lyfi csillag Ã¶svÃ©nyen!

Maroknyi szÃ©kely porlik, mint a szikla
NÃ©pek harcÃ¡nak zajlÃ³ tengerÃ©n.
FejÃ¼nk az Ã¡r, jaj, szÃ¡zszor elborÃtja,
Ne hagyd elveszni ErdÃ©lyt, IstenÃ¼nk!

Ameddig Ã©lÃ¼nk, magyar ajkÃº nÃ©pek,
MegtÃ¶rni lelkÃ¼nk nem lehet soha,
SzÃ¼lessÃ¼nk bÃ¡rhol, FÃ¶ldÃ¼nk bÃ¡rmely pontjÃ¡n,
Legyen a sorsunk jÃ³ vagy mostoha!

Keserves mÃºltunk - Ã©vezredes balsors,
TatÃ¡r, tÃ¶rÃ¶k dÃºlt, a labanc rabigÃ¡lt.
Jussunk e honban, magyar-szÃ©kelyfÃ¶dÃ¶n
Szabad hazÃ¡ban Ã©ljÃ¼nk boldogan!

Ki tudja innen merre visz a vÃ©gzet
OrszÃ¡ghatÃ¡ron, Ã³ceÃ¡non Ã¡t.
JÃ¶jj hÃ¡t kirÃ¡lyunk itt vÃ¡r a te nÃ©ped,
SzÃ©kely nemzeted, KÃ¡rpÃ¡t-bÃ©rceken.

Maroknyi szÃ©kely porlik, mint a szikla
HÃ¡borgÃ³ szÃ©lben, zÃºgÃ³ tengeren,
FejÃ¼nk az Ã¡r, jaj, szÃ¡zszor elborÃtja,
Ne hagyd elveszni ErdÃ©lyt, IstenÃ¼nk!

Ã‰des SzÃ»z AnyÃ¡nk kÃ¶nyÃ¶rÃ¶gve kÃ©rÃ¼nk,
Mentsd meg e nÃ©pet, vÃ©rzÃ´ nemzetet,
Jussunk e honban, magyar-szÃ©kelyfÃ¶dÃ¶n
Szabad hazÃ¡ban Ã©ljÃ¼nk boldogan.

Maroknyi szÃ©kely, porlik, mint a szikla,
HalÃ¡ligÃ¡ban meggyÃ¶tÃ¶rten Ã©l,
SzemÃ¼nk a korbÃ¡cs szÃ¡zszor eltalÃ¡lja,
Ne hagyd elveszni ErdÃ©lyt, IstenÃ¼nk!

Modern RomÃ¡nc -Versem-

Modern romÃ¡nc

1. Vagy magam kell, hogy legyek,
Vagy a romantikÃ¡tol el kell menjek
Nem lÃ©tezik ma se RÃ³meo se JÃºlia,
Se egy szerelem ami igazi volna.

2. Se Shakespeare, vers sem kell ma,
Azt mondjÃ¡k - ez hÃ»jje - nagy vigyorogva
Ma kell a pia, cigi meg mÃ¡s,
Amely az Ã©letÃ»kben gÃ¶rÃ¶ngyÃ¶ket Ã¡s.

3. Ha esetleg a szerelemben csalÃ³dnak,
Sokan az Ã¶ngyilkossÃ¡gba szaladnak,
Vagy el kezd drÃ³gozni, inni,
Hogyan lehet ezt Ã©letnek hinni?

4. Mi lesz a versel, a romantikÃ¡val?
TalÃ¡n mÃ¡r verekedik a halÃ¡llal?
Ha mÃ¡r nem lesz szeretet, vers se lesz
S ez mÃ¡r a vilÃ¡g Ã¶sszeomlÃ¡sa lesz.

5. Fekete felhÃµ boritja be a fÃ¶ldet, vilÃ¡got.
Amerre mÃ©sz, nem lÃ¡tsz csak hÃ¡borut.
A fÃ©nyessÃ©g annyi ami nÃ©ha felvillan,
Mikor Ã©ppen egy - egy bomba robban.

6. Mindenhol robbantnak, rabolnak,
Asszonyt gyermekÃ©tÃµl
elvÃ¡lasztanak.
MegÃ¶li az ember a sajÃ¡t testvÃ©rÃ©t,
HalÃ¡l lepte be a fÃ¶ldet, szÃvet.

7. Szenyezet a vilÃ¡g, pusztÃt a pestis,
SavasessÃµk miatt kiÃ©g a fÃ» is.
S az ember a hÃ¡zban szÃºrja a vÃ©nÃ¡t,
Az dobja fel Ãµt, semit meg nem lÃ¡t.

8. Szenved miatta esetleg valaki,
Ki minÃ©l hamarabb el szeretnÃ© hagyni.
De hovÃ¡ megy? MindenÃ»tt bizonytalan,
Amerre megy, mindenÃ»tt ugyan az van.

9. Mit kell mit csinÃ¡lni, hÃ¡t ki kell probÃ¡lni,
Miert tud a mÃ¡sik semire se reagÃ¡lni.
Szeme vÃ©rmes Ã©s alatta fekete,
Ãjultan fekszik a kettÃµjÃ»k szerelme.

10. Esetleg leÃ©g a hÃ¡z a fejÃ»k felÃ»l,
Vagy a szomszÃ©d elviszi amit talÃ¡l.
Kint ropog a fegyver, utat tank tÃºr,
Az egÃ©sz vilÃ¡gon a halÃ¡l az Ãšr.

11. De azÃ©rt Ã©n irok mÃ©g egy - kÃ©t verset,
Ha Ã¶rvendek, ha sÃrok, engem Ã©ltet.
Ha szomoru vagyok, ha boldog,
Az biztos, SZERETEK, ameddig csak tudok!