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The Székelys of Bukovina are a small Hungarian
ethnic community An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
with a complex history. They live today in the Tolna and
Baranya Baranya or Baranja may refer to: * Baranya (region) or Baranja, a region in Hungary and Croatia * Baranya County, a county in modern Hungary * Baranya County (former), a county in the historic Kingdom of Hungary * Baranya, Hungarian name of villag ...
counties of Hungary, in
Hunedoara County Hunedoara County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Name In Hungarian, it is known as , in German as , and in Slovak ...
in
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
and in the Serbian province of
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capita ...
.


Origins

Some Székely groups migrated from Transylvania to the province of
Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...
in the second half of the 18th century and established new villages, where they retained their distinctive culture and folk traditions into the 20th century. The migration was a reaction to the organization by the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
of the Székely Frontier Zone, which jeopardized certain of the Székelys' ancient privileges and rights. The Székelys protested specifically against the forced military
conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
at a gathering at Madéfalva (today
Siculeni Siculeni ( hu, Madéfalva, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The Siculicidium took place here. The commune is composed of a single ...
), which was forcibly dispersed by the Austrian General Josef Siskovics on 7 January 1764, in what came to be known as the ''
Siculicidium The Massacre at Madéfalva took place at Csík-Mádéfalva, Grand Principality of Transylvania (today Siculeni in Romania). In Latin ''Siculicidium'' "murder of Székelys" was a mass murder committed against Székelys by the Habsburg army in 176 ...
'' or Massacre of the Székelys. More than 400 Székelys died. Thereafter about 1,000 Székelys migrated to Bukovina, then part of
Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Cent ...
and still under the suzerainty of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. The occupation of northern Bukovina by Austria in 1774 brought a further wave of Székely immigration: another 100 families settled in the still sparsely populated territory in 1776, followed by a further 200 in 1784 and 1786, with assistance from Emperor
Joseph II of Austria Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...
and Count András Hadik,
governor of Transylvania The governor of Transylvania was a viceroy representing the Habsburg monarchs in the Principality (from 1765 Grand Principality) of Transylvania between 1691 and 1867. List of governors Seventeenth century Eighteenth century Nineteenth cent ...
. The new Bukovina Székely villages were named Istensegíts ("God help us", now
Ţibeni Satu Mare (german: Grossdorf) is a commune located in Suceava County, Bukovina, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Satu Mare (german: Deutsch Satulmare) and Țibeni ( hu, Istensegíts). From 1776 to 1941, Țibeni village was inhabited by th ...
), Fogadjisten ("God, welcome us!", now ), Józseffalva (now Vornicenii Mari), Hadikfalva (now
Dornești Dornești (german: Kriegsdorf, hu, Hadikfalva) is a commune located in Suceava County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Dornești and Iaz. From 1786 to 1941, Dornești village was inhabited by the Székelys of Bukovina The Székelys of ...
) and Andrásfalva (now Măneuţi).


Cultural tradition

The Székelys of Bukovina maintained an archaic Hungarian folklore because of their isolation.


Language


Overpopulation

The population of the Bukovina Székelys tripled during the 19th century, reaching 9,887 in 1880 and about 16,000 by the end of the 1930s. This caused an acute shortage of farmland and a sharp fall in
standards of living Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...
. Many Bukovina Székelys left the villages temporarily or permanently, some with official assistance. The Hungarian government settled 4,000 of these impoverished Székelys along the
Lower Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
in the new villages of Hertelendyfalva, Sándoregyháza and Székelykeve in 1883, in a part of the
Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of ...
that was annexed by
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
in 1918 (nowadays belonging to Serbia). Other Székely families emigrated in that period to Canada, USA, Brazil, or cities in southern Transylvania.


Resettlements

Bukovina became part of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
under the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, and the impoverished Székelys soon found themselves oppressed culturally as well as economically, with no teaching in or of Hungarian in their schools. There was a general expectation of assistance from the "mother country" and increasing urgency after the
Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all o ...
of 1940 had caused widespread anti-Hungarian feeling in Bukovina. Hungary's 1941 invasion of
Bačka Bačka ( sr-cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska () is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungar ...
(Bácska) in northwestern
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capita ...
was followed quickly by the expulsion of postwar Serbian settlers and other measures of forced
Magyarization Magyarization ( , also ''Hungarization'', ''Hungarianization''; hu, magyarosítás), after "Magyar"—the Hungarian autonym—was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals living in Austro-Hungarian Transleithani ...
, including resettlement of the Bukovina Székelys to the region. The whole community of 13,200 people left Romania under a
treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...
concluded between Hungary and Romania, by which the Bukovina Székelys lost their Romanian citizenship and almost all their possessions, receiving the confiscated possessions of displaced Serbs in Bačka and some charitable assistance in exchange. They were not resettled in their original village communities as they had expected, but spread about in small groups among 14 villages and hamlets. Those from Andrásfalva, for example, belonged to the
Reformed Church Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...
, while the others were Roman Catholics. The resettlement was short-lived. The tide of war turned and Hungary hurriedly evacuated Bačka on 8 October 1944. Most of the Bukovina Székelys managed to flee to
Transdanubia Transdanubia ( hu, Dunántúl; german: Transdanubien, hr, Prekodunavlje or ', sk, Zadunajsko :sk:Zadunajsko) is a traditional region of Hungary. It is also referred to as Hungarian Pannonia, or Pannonian Hungary. Administrative divisions Trad ...
before the vengeful Yugoslav partisan forces arrived, but again, they lost all of their property. Most were resettled in 1945–46 in the homes of expelled
Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...
(
Danube Swabians The Danube Swabians (german: Donauschwaben ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in various countries of central-eastern Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in gre ...
) in villages in the Völgység district of Tolna and adjacent counties.Nórbert Pap
Tolna – a rural area in central-Europe: regional and local development in Tolna country, Hungary
2007, p. 80
Tensions between them and the residual German population have eased over the decades. The Székelys of Tolna remain proud of their history and folk customs.


See also

*
Székelys The Székelys (, Székely runes: 𐳥𐳋𐳓𐳉𐳗), also referred to as Szeklers,; ro, secui; german: Szekler; la, Siculi; sr, Секељи, Sekelji; sk, Sikuli are a Hungarian subgroup living mostly in the Székely Land in Romania. ...
*
Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...
* Székelykeve


References


Sources

* Andrásfalvy Bertalan: A bukovinai székelyek kultúrájáról (The culture of the Bukovina Székelys). In: ''Népi kultúra népi társadalom'' (Folk culture, folk society). A MTA Néprajzi Kutató Csoportjának yearbook, ed. Gyula Ortutay (Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1973), pp. 7–23. *
Enikő A. Sajti Enikő A. Sajti (; born 13 September 1944) is a Hungarian historian and professor emeritus, emerita of Szeged Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Arts, University of Szeged. She has been active in research of the relationship between Serbia & Croatia (Yu ...
: ''Hungarians in the Voivodina 1918–1947'' (Boulder, CO/Highland Lakes, NJ: Social Science Monographs/Atlantic Research and Publications, 2003), pp. 250–297 passim. *Sebestyén Ádám: ''A bukovinai andrásfalvi székelyek élete és története Madéfalvától napjainkig'' (Life and history of the Bukovina Székelys of Andrásfalva from Madéfalva to the present day) (Szekszárd: Tolna Megyei Tanács VB. Művelődésügyi Osztálya, 1972). *Sebestyén Ádám: ''A bukovinai székelység tegnap és ma'' (The Bukovina Székelys past and present). Szekszárd: Tolna Megyei Könyvtár, 1989. {{DEFAULTSORT:Szekelys Of Bukovina Bukovina Ethnic groups in Hungary Ethnic groups in Serbia Ethnic groups in Vojvodina Ethnic groups in Romania Hungarian minorities in Europe
Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...