Holiday, Recreation, Revival: Annual Magyar Sziget Festival

This interview was made in 2009.

Two picturesque towns of Dunakanyar, Verőce and Kismaros to become the meeting point of patriots for a week in August, thus the continuously growing number of patriots from the mutilated Hungary, the Highlands, Transylvania and the Southern Land may spend precious time together. Magyar Sziget (Hungarian Island) is a typical example of the root to top parallel institution system of the National side. The Magyar Sziget became the symbol of persistence. Patriots, demonised by hostile media, exhausted from the battles of the year may relax here. Teenagers, middle aged people, and even families with little children visit the event. The main attraction is not only of the wide range of programmes; it is rather the fascinating atmosphere and finding the nowadays lost feeling of being united.

We have interviewed György Gy. Zagyva, chief organizer of Magyar Sziget -organized since 2001 by the Hatvannégy Vármegye Ifjúsági Mozgalom-HVIM (Sixty-four Counties Youth Movement)- about the preparations of the XI. Sziget.

Magyar Jelen: When does the Sziget take place this year?

Gyula Zagyva: The event will be organized between the 4th and 11th of August in the our second home, the Dunakanyar again. With regards to the economic crisis, the prices of the regular tickets remained unchanged since last year.

MJ: The organizers surprise the guests with dozens of new programmes each year...

GYZ: We are continuously raising the bar, aiming for higher quality and implementing new ideas each year. For example, this year’s wristbands will be made of washable and durable textile, so that it can be worn for years if you like. I am sure, that many people will do that. We made a huge leap forward regarding Children’s Corner: besides the usual and traditional activities and programmes, we offer motorcycling, horse-back riding, excursions and folk-dance tuition as well during the whole week.
By the way, we have planned more excursions for this year; excursion to the first Trianon memorial place in Zebegény, train trip with an original steam locomotive, operated especially for us, a castle-tour to Visegrád and visiting the most beautiful places of the Dunakanyar.
We will introduce several new hand-craft programmes and professions this year, and there will be a quiz competition featuring national traditions and history.

MJ: Performing on the stage of Magyar Sziget became prestigious among the National musicians. Any new bands to début this year?

GYZ: National Rock bands, who are now growing more popular than the so called “stars” of the brainwashed media, are closely attached to the Magyar Sziget. However, the media still handles them as if they did not exist.
The performing bands feel the importance of the event as well, since almost all of them comes up with some kind of surprise or speciality to their Sziget performance. Many of them adjust their album release date to the Magyar Sziget.
This year’s Magyar Sziget will open the stage for most bands compared to previous years. This is mostly the credit of the Szent Korona Rádió (Holy Crown Radio), as they have made it possible for the newcomers of National Rock, to be heard, known and loved by a wider audience. New bands such as Patrióta, Turul, Palmetta, Napvágás, Radical Hungary managed to “play” themselves into the heart of the National side with record speed during the past few years. Therefore, we felt it is our “obligation” to invite them to Magyar Sziget. As a result of this, the music programmes had to be widened, but still, we obviously did not forget the great old ones either; P. Mobil, for example will be on stage after so many years.

MJ: Are there any new lecturers and programmes as well?

GYZ: We make big effort to find and invite lecturers who have already represented themselves in the last few years and who perform high quality presentations about topics that are connected to the idea and values of the Magyar Sziget. For example, Zsolt Hetesi, physicist, leader of the Sustainable Development Research Team, will attempt to offer alternative solutions to the global exploitative energy consumption, and will talk about possibilities of more economic usage of energy and new energy resources.
I would like to mention the presentation of István Varga, an expert of finance and economy as well. He is considered to be one of the best alternative financial professionals, besides János Drábik, who is going to give a presentation on the Sziget as well.
Presenters will focus on topics we consider important for two days. 6th of August, Thursday, will be dedicated to the memory of the Rongyos Gárda (Ragged Guard). This day lectures will be about the armed resistance against the Trianon treaty, and its remarkable characters; the day’s military show is going to be performed by the Soproni Honvéd Hagyományőrzők (Military Tradition Preservers of Sopron), in authentic uniforms. Since the Rongyos Gárda mainly consisted of people from Sopron, we have arranged the bands from the area of Sopron to this evening and night, such as Dalriada, Moby Dick, Hungarica and the Vérszerződés.
On the last day, the 10th of August, the audience can discover the mysteries of the spiritual cradle of Hungarians, the Pilis in detail, as we gathered the most widely known Pilis-researchers for that day. It is our pleasure that Botond P. Bátor P., provincial chief of the Order of Paul – the only Hungarian-founded monastic order - accepted our invitation.
The usual discussions, such as the round table conference of National organizations, and the Magyar Sziget Press Club, where leaders and chief editors of the National media, built up and strengthened in the past few years sit around our table, will be held as well.
Almost the whole programme can be viewed on the renewed www.magyarsziget.hu website, where everybody can find the right programme for their taste.

MJ: The attempt to bring back folk-traditions, and the effort of making them alive was a great success last year. Are these going to be continued this year?

GYZ: Definitely. These will be even expanded. Thus we will not only outlive nuptials, folk games, traditions regarding wine culture, but more, almost forgotten customs, such as the “regölés” (“citing”) or the “watering” will be introduced; our intention is to involve people in these, and not only showing them. We are hoping, that teaching these traditions will resurrect them in their homes as well.
We are going to place big emphasis on the preparation method of ancient Hungarian meals. Our guests can take active part in cooking Scythian and peasant meals, prepare and taste the meal of “the Plains” as well.

MJ: Do you think visitors are interested in these activities?

GYZ: One of the the main role of Magyar Sziget is to serve mental ammunition for those who require this, and supporting those who are still at the the stage of finding their own life path.
Thousands have learnt the ancient Hungarian runic alphabet at the Magyar Sziget so far, or laid down the base of their skills in archery and the use of circled bull-whip. They became familiar with hand-crafting and encountered thought to be forgotten traditions here for the first time. In our experience, youngsters are especially interested in these things, although the illegitimate power over the country commits everything to hide these away from their eyes, as they are terrified, that the next generation will be uncompromising and will stand on the firm ground of traditions, therefore cannot be shepherded as sheep any longer. Our goal is to support the next generation in this mission.

MJ: It is growing usual that delegations of the foreign patriotic youth movements honour the event with their presence. Will this practice continue?

GYZ: Yes, our European comrades notified us about their attendance. The Flemish are now returning guests and members of the Spanish Democracia Nacional come with a whole bus to the event. Furthermore, this year is the first when we can welcome Croatian youngsters, which we were looking forward to for a long time. I think we do not need to introduce Nicolas de Lamberterie, the leader of HVIM’s French division to nobody on the National Radical side. He will moderate the International Round Table discussion that attracted many people last year.

MJ: The Magyar Sziget became the most important Hungarian cultural event of the Carpathian Basin. What is the next stage?

GYZ: When László Toroczkai came up with the idea of the Magyar Sziget, his aim was to create an event that becomes a tradition on the National side (there were no such events at the time). He wanted to fill the empty space that ordinary summer festivals left behind, which were, and are, about hedonism, the liberal brain-washing propaganda machine, distribution of drugs and advertisement of homosexuality.
The main concept was a summer festival that was dedicated to the entire Carpathian Basin, and where the main issues of Hungarian society give the core of the event, and are not only tolerated secondary programmes. We proved that it is possible to build successful institutions on the National side with absolutely no support from the state; institutions, where we are our own lords and they have no influence on our actions and choices. Against the flow, without sponsors, we are still able to organize a purely National event, and we would like to do so again and again.

MJ: How is it possible to maintain the Magyar Sziget’s incomparable homely, familiar atmosphere despite the rapidly growing number of visitors?

GYZ: We work a lot on improving the festival every year and to represent the case of the Hungarian persistence on the appropriate level, but we always pay attention to the feedbacks. We welcome any ideas and we implement the feasible ones. For this purpose, we distribute questionnaires every year in order to get some new ideas.
The fact, that the organizer of this festival is a movement of comrades, makes the visitors feel, that they are not simply guests for their tickets, but real brothers and could expect us standing up for them if needed. In addition, I think nowadays the whole National side seems to be getting more impregnated by comradeship as the air is getting hotter around us. One of the most important principle; the Magyar Sziget is more than a musical, cultural event. We organize this gathering for Hungarians of the Carpathian Basin year by year to reattach those torn strings.

(Magyar Jelen)