Montgomery greeted its Hungarian friends with a touching VIDEO!

The small Welsh town of Montgomery is proud of its Hungarian connections; as a result of which, the locals greeted their Hungarian friends in a freshly published touching video.

The small town of Montgomery, known in Wales as Trefaldwyn, has become well known in Hungary from the famous ballad The Bards of Wales of the Hungarian poet, János Arany. Few may know that its inhabitants are incredibly proud of the small town’s Hungarian connections; as a result of which, the locals have prepared a touching video, commemorating the poet’s work, and presenting the sights of Montgomery to their Hungarian friends.

The short film was inspired by the video message “Build Bridges” of the Welsh-Hungarian cultural initiative called Magyar Cymru. In the video presented this summer, more than 30 Hungarians expressed their love for the Welsh people and culture – including Hungarians living in Wales and fans of Welsh music in Hungary.

The famous Hungarian ballad The Welsh Bards – about King Edward I and the 500 executed Welsh Bards – is one of the most important links between the two cultures.

It became really well-known among Welsh people in 2017, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of János Arany. At this time, the BBC also expressed its honour to the poet, and a moving installation projected on a church in central Cardiff brought to life the legend of the Bards.

“The tragic story written by János Arany in The Welsh Bards is known to more people in Hungary than in Wales” – said Jill Kibble, a member of Montgomery City Council. “We are proud that for generations every Hungarian student can meet the name of our city. We give our thanks to János Arany who received the title of the posthumous Free Citizen of Montgomery a few years ago. As soon as we received the touching video message of Magyar Cymru, we knew we had to respond to that. This is how our own short film was born which – despite the challenges caused by the pandemic – was enjoyed by the inhabitants of Montgomery.”

According to Bálint Brunner, the founder of Magyar Cymru and the organiser of the Let’s Build Bridges project –

it is an honour that the love of Hungarian culture has become an important part of this small town of 1,200 people.

“Our video message in July was a great success among Welsh people. Several national newspapers have reported on the initiative, and the Welsh Government has thanked us for our work through social media.” However, it was not expected that the people of Montgomery would react in such a touching way, by which further bridges can be built between Wales and Hungary – reported by Utazási Élmények.

The short video made by Montgomery Council contains several surprises. “Szia, Magyarország!” (= “Hello Hungary!”) – the students of the local Ysgol Trefaldwyn primary school greet the Hungarians with a perfect pronunciation at the beginning of the short film.

The film also features Eric Fairbrother, Mayor of Montgomery, who inaugurated János Arany as an honorary citizen of the city in 2017, as part of a festive event in Budapest.

The short film was a great success among the residents of Kunágota, a village in Békés County, also known as the “Welshiest” Hungarian village. Accordingly, Elizabeth Silló – the main organiser of the Welsh-Hungarian concert series in Kunágota and the annual Welsh-Hungarian Concert in Cardiff – invited the enthusiastic Welsh townspeople to both events.

Read also: Birthplace of Poet János Arany and the Welsh town of Montgomery may sign a sister city agreement

Source: utazasielmenyek.hu