The Tsangos of Romania - Corvinus Library - Hungarian History
The Tsangos of Romania - Corvinus Library - Hungarian History The Tsangos of Romania - Corvinus Library - Hungarian History
priests to Moldavia.Meanwhile, in 1791, Austria took over the control ofMoldavia which fact gave the Csángós a great hope, for theythought the Austrians would surely help them. But this was notthe case. Austria sent priests who were loyal to Austria. TheMoldavian Hungarians wrote to the Emperor of Austria for helpand in return, they were sent Dénes, a priest from Pécs(Hungary).The 19th century brought great changes. Laws werepassed stating that masses had to be held in Rumanian. But nolaws could stop Hungarian being spoken and the number ofHungarians grew in Moldavia.In 1817, famine ravaged in Transylvania and manypeople escaped to Moldavia once again.From 1822, we have data about 4oo,ooo Hungarians,while documents from 1841, mention only 8 priests workingamong them. In 1902, Gustav Weigand, from the university inLeipzig, publishes the following data: he mentions 58,000Csángós and Székelys and 2100 older Hungarians. Accordingto him, in Tatros 4,000 in the county of Román 22,000 and inthe county of Bakó 24,000 Hungarians live (according to PálPeter Domokos some villages were left out and instead of the50,000 Hungarians 60,000 live in Moldavia). Weigand believedthat there were two kinds of Hungarians in Moldavia, theSzekelys on one hand, who lived in the valley of Tatros, andthe Csángós who could be found in the area of Bakó andRomán. There are many differences between these two, forexample: the Csángós pronounce "s" instead of "sh" and "s"instead of "ch", they have borrowed words from Rumanian andwhile a Csángó can understand a Székely, a Székely can noteasily understand a Csángó, also the Csángós are taller, haveredish blond curly hair, and blue or darkbrown eyes. There are afew towns where they have kept their language. Most of thewomen there only know Hungarian, since they do not travelmuch, and are not in contact with Rumanians. Also there aretowns where they remember that their ancestors spokeHungarian but they themselves no longer speak it. Then thereare those villages where they are orthodox but from theirpronounciation and appearance we can tell that they are ofCsángó origins. Even though, these people who no longerremember their past and who their ancestors were, are stillregarded as Hungarians by the Rumanians.
THE ACCOUNTS OF PÁL PÉTER DOMOKOSThe situation of the Csángós in 1929, and 1932, is justthe same as we can hear from the accounts of Pál PéterDomokos. During his trips he wandered around the countryvisiting villages, talking to people, and recording their songs.He found that in Máriafalva, where 35 families live, notone of them can read or write and they have no school either.There is a small wooden church in the village but no priest. Thepeople complain that while the village belonged to PaterNeumann, he visited them 15 times a year but the present priest,has only been to them once. It also happened once in this villagethat someone died in winter and was not buried till the springwhen a priest passed by.In Hungarian churches it is also fobidden to hold massesin Hungarian. There is even an announcement on the doors ofthe church stating, that according to the order of May 3rd, 1938,it is fobidden to speak languages other than Rumanian in officialplaces. In Forrófalva, where the inhabitants are 100% Csángó,the masses are also held in Rumanian and the priest workingthere does not marry couples who do not know the catechism inRumanian. In the village the women would not even sing inHungarian for Pál Domokos, because they were afraid of thepriest finding out.The Rumanians have even compiled a songbook ofreligious songs in which the songs are of Hungarian origin butare translated into Rumanian and are sung that way.Pater Neumann, although not a Hungarian, learned thelanguage of the Csángós perfectly,was devoting his life to theCsángós helping them in their daily life and faith. He soon hadto give up his post to a priest who did not speak Hungarian, stillPater Neumann did not give up the struggle, but built a smallchurch outside of Bogdánfalva where his flock followed himand confessed to him as they did not speak Rumanian. Soon hewas forbidden to do this as well. He was not allowed to go todying people whose last wish was to confess to him inHungarian.Klézser has a priest who, is of Csángó origin (from hisappearance this can be detected at once, he has red hair and abeard) but speaks no Hungarian. He was asked what he knewabout the Csángós, who they were, where they came from.
- Page 1 and 2: THE TSANGOS OF ROMANIATHE HUNGARIAN
- Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS1. Foreword2. Bernadette P
- Page 5 and 6: Prepublication version for the Inte
- Page 7 and 8: THE HISTORY OF THE CSÁNGÓSIn orde
- Page 9 and 10: heathen Cumanians, had an important
- Page 11 and 12: TWO VOIVODS (VAJDASÁGS) AREESTABLI
- Page 13 and 14: 4. Bogdán voivode of Máramaros 13
- Page 15 and 16: 11 Tatros: one church no priest12 R
- Page 17: were no Hungarian priests and in 17
- Page 21 and 22: In Pusztina, the people believe tha
- Page 23 and 24: Pátria. Unfortunately only a few c
- Page 25 and 26: Csángós the intellectuals are mis
- Page 27 and 28: ORIGINAL EDITION IN RUMANIAN:HORVÁ
- Page 29 and 30: with the Moldavian Rumanians for ov
- Page 31 and 32: XVIIth centuries they couldn't come
- Page 33 and 34: At the end we mention the fact that
- Page 35 and 36: ILLUSTRIS REGIS UNGARIAE"To Bela, f
- Page 37 and 38: Original version in Latin: Anton Ke
- Page 39 and 40: 10. Sibiu, 11th of April, 1552Repor
- Page 41 and 42: "Calatori straini", II. Page 160"Th
- Page 43 and 44: saying that they are Roman, keeping
- Page 45 and 46: Original version in Italian: MCSMO,
- Page 47 and 48: churches from that of the Rumanian
- Page 49 and 50: good, Hungarian village, all cathol
- Page 51 and 52: needed. There are 3000 Hungarians i
- Page 53 and 54: liturgy, I've ordered to preach in
- Page 55 and 56: its disappearance."Original version
- Page 57 and 58: Targul Frumos: (maybe Campulung), w
- Page 59 and 60: Bacau: 200 houses, and there are so
- Page 61 and 62: tradition, the prettiest I've ever
- Page 63 and 64: Tratus: church of stone and a chape
- Page 65 and 66: The Apostolic visit of Moldavia 164
- Page 67 and 68: In this town there is another churc
THE ACCOUNTS OF PÁL PÉTER DOMOKOS<strong>The</strong> situation <strong>of</strong> the Csángós in 1929, and 1932, is justthe same as we can hear from the accounts <strong>of</strong> Pál PéterDomokos. During his trips he wandered around the countryvisiting villages, talking to people, and recording their songs.He found that in Máriafalva, where 35 families live, notone <strong>of</strong> them can read or write and they have no school either.<strong>The</strong>re is a small wooden church in the village but no priest. <strong>The</strong>people complain that while the village belonged to PaterNeumann, he visited them 15 times a year but the present priest,has only been to them once. It also happened once in this villagethat someone died in winter and was not buried till the springwhen a priest passed by.In <strong>Hungarian</strong> churches it is also fobidden to hold massesin <strong>Hungarian</strong>. <strong>The</strong>re is even an announcement on the doors <strong>of</strong>the church stating, that according to the order <strong>of</strong> May 3rd, 1938,it is fobidden to speak languages other than Rumanian in <strong>of</strong>ficialplaces. In Forrófalva, where the inhabitants are 100% Csángó,the masses are also held in Rumanian and the priest workingthere does not marry couples who do not know the catechism inRumanian. In the village the women would not even sing in<strong>Hungarian</strong> for Pál Domokos, because they were afraid <strong>of</strong> thepriest finding out.<strong>The</strong> Rumanians have even compiled a songbook <strong>of</strong>religious songs in which the songs are <strong>of</strong> <strong>Hungarian</strong> origin butare translated into Rumanian and are sung that way.Pater Neumann, although not a <strong>Hungarian</strong>, learned thelanguage <strong>of</strong> the Csángós perfectly,was devoting his life to theCsángós helping them in their daily life and faith. He soon hadto give up his post to a priest who did not speak <strong>Hungarian</strong>, stillPater Neumann did not give up the struggle, but built a smallchurch outside <strong>of</strong> Bogdánfalva where his flock followed himand confessed to him as they did not speak Rumanian. Soon hewas forbidden to do this as well. He was not allowed to go todying people whose last wish was to confess to him in<strong>Hungarian</strong>.Klézser has a priest who, is <strong>of</strong> Csángó origin (from hisappearance this can be detected at once, he has red hair and abeard) but speaks no <strong>Hungarian</strong>. He was asked what he knewabout the Csángós, who they were, where they came from.
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