Hungary’s August 20 national holiday is the celebration of a “success story” because the work of Saint Stephen, the founder of Hungarian statehood, “is a living entity even after a thousand years”, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday.
Gergely Gulyas, presenting awards on the occasion of the holiday, said a thousand years’ history “teaches us how to prepare for the future, as the country has managed to survive occupations by Mongols, Turks, and Soviets, the Trianon treaty, as well as those times when the fate of the country was determined elsewhere”.
Concerning Stephen I, Gulyas said Hungary’s first king had established the counties which have “served local communities for a thousand years”. He said Stephen’s laws were still considered an example and the guidelines he set out for his son were marking “eternal directions”. His legacy also foreshadowed European cooperation in a modern sense, Gulyas added.
At the ceremony, Gulyas handed over the Order of Merit of Hungary on behalf of President Katalin Novak.
The awardees included Menyhert Laszlo Dobos, retired head of public service media service provider Duna Mediaszolgaltato, and Kossuth Radio director Beatrix Siklosi.