Hungarian Culture Day on 22 January

Since 1989, Hungarian Culture Day has been celebrated on 22 January. It is the day on which the poet Ferenc Kölcsey (1790-1838) completed the text of the 1823 poem Hymnus, which later became the Hungarian anthem. It pays homage to the Hungarian anthem, the melody of which was written by Ferenc Erkel (1810-1893). The first line of the hymn is ‘Isten áldd meg a magyart’ (‘Lord protect the Hungarian’). The new Hungarian Constitution, adopted in 2011, begins with the words of the anthem. On this day, Hungarians talk about Hungarian culture, presenting and introducing the cultural heritage of their ancestors.