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More than 1,000 celebrated the Hungarian National Holiday in the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca in a march through the downtown, carrying flags of Hungary and Romania and banners of Transylvania and of Szeklers (a Hungarian-speaking ethnic minority of Romania). The rally was followed by a mass at St. Michael's church.
Wreaths were laid at Hotel Biasini, which once hosted Hungarian poet Sandor Petofi for talks with Nicolae Balcescu, a prominent figure of the 1848 Revolution in Romania, in an attempt to merge the Hungarian and Romanian revolutionary movements. Lajos Mile, Hungary's general consul in Cluj-Napoca, read a message of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; Cluj County Prefect conveyed a message from PM Dacian Ciolos.
Cluj County Chairman Marius Manzat and Vice Chairman Istvan Vakar, Cluj-Napoca Mayor Emil Boc and Deputy Mayor Anna Horvath attended. "Hotel Biasini was a place of dialogue in times when dialogue seemed impossible. On 15 March 1848 there was no discord between Hungarians and Romanians in Transylvania. (...) Discord occurred later. Of course there is temptation to blame it on some intrigues by various people. Actually, the blame is on us, Romanian and Hungarian Transylvanians. Back then, our forefathers gave up dialogue for weapons. No one benefited from that civil war. We must assume this lesson of history and never repeat our forefathers' error. Romanian must not be offended by Hungarians' celebration of March 15, just as Hungarians can rejoice alongside Romanians on December 1 [Romania's National Day, marking the Union of Transylvania with Romania]. Ones' joy should not be others' grief," Manzat said in his speech.
Mayor Boc declared, "History has given us the chance of a shared destiny. We can live better or worse, depending on how we relate to this historical destiny. I think we can live better if we stress the things that unite us, or live worse if we stress the things that divide us. Here in Cluj, I think we managed to show over the past 12 years that we can be a European community, leaving aside the things that divide us and achieving significant progress in matters that unite us. Hungarians worldwide celebrate on March 15 Hungary's 1848-49 Revolution and War of Independence.
