Mardi Grass Ball

The OHCC’s Mardi Gras masquarade held on January 30, 2016, was a complete success in that, beside the served-up tasty bites and merriment, we were able to raise funds for a worthy cause: the language training of Hungarian children that are subjected to forced assimilation practices in Moldova (present-day Romania), where they live by no fault of their own. These people are called the “Csángós” and form integral part of the Hungarian nation.

We had the pleasure and priviledge to host a young man, Krisztián (Feraru) Kovács, who hails from that region, just east of Transylvania, and who is a product of several programs that reinforce the sense of belonging to the Hungarian nation in those children.

He presented a short program of authentic Csángó folk-songs on flute, accompanied on lute by Mr. Szabolcs Szilágyi, followed by a sequence of Csángó dance-music tunes that received an enthusiastic response from the audience, many jumping on the floor and dancing away.

After the concert, the public has enjoyed a comedy sketch performed by Messrs. Béla Köntés, Gábor Steiner, Szabolcs Szilágyi, and Ms. Judith Polgár.

Shortly before the „soirée dansante” began, the costumes and masks have been appraised and rewarded. Across generations, people have doned clever and witty costumes. We had amongst us Ninja turtles, a Rubik’s cube, a Unicorn, a Stick-man, a Hammer and Nail duo, and Princess Leia, who did not want to part with her Oscar statuette. Among the costumed crowd, there were six families, each member wearing a disguise. Kudos to them!

Thanks go to the volunteers, and to the guests, who made this evening a memorable one!