King Saint Stephen and the Founding of Hungary

Описание: The 20th of August marks Saint Stephen’s Day, the most prominent national annual holiday for Hungarians. However, in August 1945 at the end of the Second World War, there was little room for celebration in war-torn Budapest. Just as the German occupation ended, the Soviet occupation would begin. People were busy mourning their dead, or carting their possessions through the rubble in search of food and shelter. Despite this, parish priest Béla Witz, Guard of the “Holy Right”, continued preparing for the forthcoming celebrations. Until 1944, the Holy Right - King Stephen’s naturally mummified right hand – was carried through the streets around Buda Castle, as part of the annual Saint Stephen’s Day procession. These processions were attended by heads of city and state, alongside large crowds who, irrespective of religion, gathered from Budapest and across the country to celebrate. However, during the 1944 siege of Budapest, the Holy Right was moved to Austria for safekeeping. After the war, Béla Witz requested its return from the American military authorities then in charge of Austria’s western zone.

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