18 December, Nationalities’ Day in Hungary: a short history

Members of the Horenka Traditional Folk Choir in Slovak folk costume talk at the inauguration of the renewed Slovak National House in Csorva, 10 October 2022. Source: MTI/Tibor Rosta

18 December is Nationalities’ Day (formerly Minorities’ Day) in Hungary. In 1995, the Hungarian government declared the day of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, 18 December, as Minorities Day. The aim was to create and maintain a minority-friendly social climate in the country.

“Prize for Minorities”

1995 is the year from which the “Prize for Minorities” is awarded, turul.info writes. The prize was founded by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary. The prize is awarded to individuals and organisation (both in Hungary and abroad) who have made an outstanding contribution to education, public life, culture, church life, science, the economy or the mass media, and who have done something for the benefit of the minority concerned.

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In addition to the ministries, the award winners are nominated by community organisations of Hungarians living beyond the borders and national minority self-governments. The recipients receive a commemorative plaque, which will be accompanied by HUF 500,000 (EUR 1231) for the individual and HUF 1,500,000 (EUR 3694) for the community.

Protecting minorities, preserving and respecting their traditions, culture and language is an important task for all nations, as each ethnic group has irreplaceable characteristics and values, turul.info writes. This explains why the UN took them under its wing when it drafted and adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to Ethnic, National, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. Hungary has also recognised this, as is shown by the fact that Minorities Day is celebrated every year on 18 December, the day of its acceptance.

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Hungary’s nationalities

According to the 2011 Hungarian census, 644,524 people, or 6.5 percent of the population, declared themselves as belonging to an officially recognised nationality. However, it is estimated that the actual number of members of nationalities (national and ethnic minorities) is much higher: approximately 8-10 percent of the country’s population of 10 million, although the majority of these are primarily Hungarian-speaking Gypsies.

There are 13 national minorities in Hungary recognised by law, of which 12 were national minorities and one ethnic minority (the Roma) before 1 January 2012. After the entry into force of Act CLXXIX of 2011 on the Rights of National Minorities, the terms national and ethnic minorities ceased to exist, and was replaced by the term nationality. Since then, 18 December is Nationalities’ Day.