The Hungarian Community in Albuquerque

Overview and Brief History:
The Republic of Hungary is located in Central Europe, on an alluvial plain at the base of the Carpathian Mountains. Hungary shares borders with Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia to the South, and with Austria to the West. Pieces of all of these countries were part of Hungary before World War I.

Hungarians, who call themselves Magyar, trace their roots to the Magyar tribes who settled the regionin the 9th centery AD, conquering the scattered Slavic villages in the area. The exact origins of the Magyar is unclear, but it is known that they lived nomadically in the areas between the Ural Mountains and the Volga River, until confrontations with the Turks caused therm to migrate over the Carpathian Mountains to the lands which became knows as Hungary. Seven Magyar tribes representing 80 clans and totaling several hundred thousand individuals made this journey.

Tribal authorities chose a common leader, Árpád, and swore loyalty to him and to his male descendants. The Magyar were excellent horsemen and had a long tradition of raiding even before crossing the Carpathians. Once in Hungary, the Magyar raided north into Moravia, south into Bavaria and Turkey, and west into France, even crossing the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain. However, German and Czech armies fighting under the Holy Roman Empire in the west, and Byzantine armies in the east, ended Magyar raiding.

Christmas Day in the year 1000, witnessed the coronation of King Stephen I with a crown sent to him by the Pope. Stephen is credited with organizing the Magyar tribes into one Hungarian nation. Hungary was divided into counties governed by officials appointed by the King. King Stephen established relationships with both the East and the West, and opened Hungary to peaceful settlement by other peoples.

Stephen worked to convert the Magyar to Christianity, and was responsible for developing a form of the Latin alphabet for the recording of the Magyar language. King Stephen I was canonized, becoming Saint Stephen, in 1038.

Hungary was rich in natural ores, and became the center of gold, silver, copper and iron for the surrounding region. Through the end of the twelfth century, Hungary was relatively peaceful and had little trouble from its neighbors.

In 1241, the Mongol army invaded Hungary but soon returned to Mongolia upon the death of their leader Ogotai Khan. However, the Mongols had decimated towns and villages and as much as one half of Hungary’s population had perished.

Ottoman Turks conquered Bulgaria and Serbia at the end of the 14th century and, through the middle of the 15th century, Hungary launched a series of campaigns against the Turks. Matyas Corvinus, perhaps Hungary’s last Hungarian king, ruled the country from 1458-1490. Battles with the Turks continued, as well as an attempt to forcefully form a Western alliance strong enough to defeat the Turks. Matyas is also remembered for his love of culture; the first book to be printed in Hungarian came out during his reign.

Following Matyas’ death, the Turk Sultan Suleyman invaded Hungary with more than 100,000 soldiers. Hungary was divided between the Ottomans and Austrians, and remained divided for over 150 years. Royal Hungary, which included lands nearest the Austrian border and some of Northern Hungary went to the Austrian side. Central and southern Hungary came under total Turkish control. Transylvania stayed relatively autonomous and became the place where the heart of Hungarian culture was kept alive. Turks were gradually driven from the country in the later part of the 17th century, and surrendered it entirely in 1699.

With the expulsion of the Turks, Hungary, with the exception of Transylvania, became an Austrian colony under Habsburg rule. During the following two hundred years Protestantism was banned, and immigration was encouraged. An era of nationalistic feeling and a revived focus on Hungarian language, traditional arts, and customs ensued. Agricultural shifted away from small-scale to large-scale production for a wider market, and industrialization was introduced. Hungary became a major exporter of grain and wool. The economic upswing crashed following the defeat of Napolean, whose troops had consumed nearly all that Hungary could produce.

In March 1848, a revolution broke out that restructured Hungarian government with what are now known as the April Laws. These Laws erased the legal distinctions between Hungarian citizens that had kept the peasant classes landless, and had given nobles tax exemptions. Hungary was suddenly in charge of its own defense and financial affairs, and issued its own currency. Transylvania was reclaimed, but the Habsburg Dynasty changed hands, and in June 1849, combined Austrian and Russian troops invaded. Hungary surrendered in August.

A period of harsh repression followed, during which all outward signs of Hungarian nationalism were banned. German became the official language. Shortly, however, the Habsburg rule weakened and the Compromise of 1867 created the combined Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy. The cities of Pest and Buda were joined. Budapest became Hungary’s new capital, and a growing center of European culture and trade. Hungarian again became the official language of Hungary.

On June 28th, 1914, a young Serb assassinated the heir to the Austrian throne. Austria immediately made motions toward war. Hungary was initially opposed to war, but agreed under pressure from Austria. Hungary was not at all prepared for World War I, which caused soaring inflation and food shortages. Two-thirds of the soldiers that Hungary sent into the war did not return.

The War’s victors considered Hungary to be a partner of Austria and, after the war, the country was divided between Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. Under the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, Hungary was forced to sign away two-thirds of its prewar lands and 60% of its population. One third of all ethnic Magyars found themselves living outside of the borders of their homeland.

Germany helped Hungary to regain some of its lost territory and Hungary, in turn, became economically dependent on Germany. On November 20, 1940 Hungary signed the Tripartite Pact, an alliance between Japan, Germany, and Italy cementing its position in World War II. Hungary reluctantly entered the war against the Allies in December, 1941. In October, 1944, Hungary signed an armistice with the Soviet Union but the Germans turned Hungary into a major battlefield until they were finally driven from the country on April 4, 1945.

After World War II, Hungary lost more territory, mostly to Russia, and by 1953, Hungary’s economy had been reshaped based on the Soviet model. Unions were abolished, and collective farms were formed. On October 23rd, 1956 a student rally in support of Polish nationalistic struggles sparked a battle between students and police. The students wanted free elections and the return of former moderate leader, Imre Nagy, who formed a government that included both communists and non-communists. Under Nagy, who was returned, a coalition government emerged with members from all the parties that were present in Hungary before the communist takeover and the Soviets agreed to remove their troops. While they were leaving Budapest, however, new divisions of Soviet troops were entering Hungary at the border and on November 4th, Soviet troops put an end to the attempted revolution. Nagy was later executed in Romania. Before the borders were sealed, 200,000 Hungarians fled to the West.

A period of intense repression and persecution ensued, followed by a period of compromise. Harsh economic policies were restructured and trade relations with the West were improved as Hungary entered the world market. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the country re-emerged as the Republic of Hungary. Free elections of the newly formed multi-party, parliamentary democracy were held for the first time in 1990. Hungary joined NATO in 1999, and was made a member of the European Union in May of 2004.

Immigration to the United States and Albuquerque:
While individual Hungarians came to the United States from as early as the 16th century in various capacities, such as missionaries and explorers, no groups of Hungarians came to settle here until the mid-nineteenth century.

The first wave of Hungarian immigrants came in 1849, following the revolution against the Austrian Empire. The revolution had been successful for one year, until Austria brought in Russian troops. Thousands fled at that time. It is impossible to know exactly how many Hungarians traveled to the United States, however, because they were often classed as Austrians upon arrival. Lajos Kossuth, Hungarian leader between the 1848 revolution and the 1849 surrender, made a visit to the United States in 1851. Americans welcomed him, even popularizing the hat he wore on the visit. Many more of his countrymen followed.

A second wave of Hungarian immigration occurred late in the 19th century and lasted until World War I. The Hungarian economy was depressed after the surrender to Austria, and circumstances for Hungary’s peasants became, for many, unlivable. Population growth in rural areas had caused landholdings to be divided between offspring, until many plots were too small to provide a living. Many ended up with no land at all and worked the farms of others. Toward the end of the nineteenth century 50,000 Hungarians were imigrating out of their country each year. By 1907, the figure had risen to 200,000. Many of these immigrants arrived on the shores of the United States. By the advent of the First World War, an estimated five to seven hundred thousand Magyar, and perhaps twice as many of their fellow countrymen had begun new lives in the U.S.

Hungarian immigration to the United States stopped after the U.S. entered WWI. There was some revival after the war had ended, but immigration laws in the early 1920’s introduced quotas for some countries, allowing less than one thousand Hungarians into the country per year. In the following decades, some Hungarians were given admission to the United States for reasons such as escape from the political and racial persecution of the Nazis, who had turned Hungary into a vassal state shortly before WWII. Refugees continued to enter the U.S. after the War, and while immigration laws did not change officially until the mid-1960’s, many Hungarians fled to the United States after the attempted revolution against the Soviet Union of 1956.

The largest concentrations of Hungarian immigrants have been in the industrial cities of the northeast and the Midwest. New York City has the greatest Hungarian population, but there are sizable communities in cities in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Jersey, and in Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Hungarians worked in manufacturing, iron works, and many made their way to mining towns. There are also scattered rural Hungarian communities, such as Kossuthville, Florida and Budapest, California.

Many of the early immigrants to arrive to the U.S. were Roman Catholic, as the combined Austro-Hungarian Empire suppressed their religion at home. In 1892, a Hungarian priest, Charles Böhm, was sent to Cleveland; he was the first Hungarian priest in the United States. Hungarian communities throughout the country requested his presence, and for seven years he traveled, as the only Hungarian priest in the United States, from the East Coast to California. The first Hungarian Catholic church and parochial school were built in Cleveland, and two more followed in Connecticut in 1897 and Pennsylvania in 1899. He was also responsible for the publication of the first two Hungarian Catholic newspapers.

Hungarian migration to the state of New Mexico has been a gradual process, punctuated by small “waves” brought on by major events. One Hungarian master bootmaker arrived in the early 1900’s, first to Tucumcari, and then settling in Gallup. He made boots for New Mexico’s ranchers and cowboys for nearly half a century, even a pair for Tom Mix, the Western film star. Other early Hungarian immigrants were drawn to the state for mining and farming. Today, there are several Hungarian professors at Highland University in Las Vegas.

One wave of Hungarian immigration to New Mexico came after WWI and in preparation for WWII. Several scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project were Hungarian, including Edward Teller in New Mexico. There has been a steady presence of Hungarian scientists at both Los Alamos and at Sandia Labs in Albuquerque. After the 1956 revolution, another wave of Hungarian immigrants came to the state.

Today there are Hungarians living in all parts of the state, in a wide variety of professions. Along with New Mexico’s Hungarian miners and scientists are a number of university professors, artists, and architects. New immigrants still arrive periodically, and each semester the University of New Mexico law school engages in an exchange program with a Hungarian university, bringing one student to Albuquerque to learn arbitration. Hungarians from the local community are part of the selection process. According to 2000 census data there are 2,481 Hungarians living in Albuquerque.

Cultural Traditions:
Cultural traditions, such as language, food and community celebrations help Albuquerque’s Hungarians to continue the connection to their homeland.

There are ten million speakers of the Hungarian language of Magyar in Hungary, and another four to five million in parts of Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, and Slovenia. All of these areas were part of Hungarian territory before the end of World War I. Magyar is not of the Indo-European family, as are many other languages of the region. There is some discrepancy as to the exact origin of Magyar. Linguists have placed it in the Finno-Ugric branch of the Ural-Altaic language family, but there is strong evidence to suggest that Magyar is more closely related to Turkic languages, also in the Ural-Altaic, but on the Altaic side.

The Hungarian language may be a Turkic language with much Ugric influence, or an Ugric language with much Turkic influence, or it may be a unique combination of both. Centuries of close proximity to other ethnic groups and their languages have brought some cross-over with those languages. Magyar is written using the Roman script. As Europe became industrialized, new words were created to talk about economics, bureaucracy, science and industry. Because Latin and Hungarian had been used as court languages for centuries, the Hungarian language had no words of its own to discuss these subjects. During Hungary’s year of independence from the Austrian Empire, 1848-1849, a committee was formed to modernize Magyar. Over 10,000 new words entered the Hungarian language at that time.

Magyar is somewhat difficult for people who speak an Indo-European language as their first language. The use of the Roman alphabet, and that there are no gendered words, as in English, eases some of the difficulty, but many from younger generations do not speak the language. As well, older second and third generation Hungarian immigrants, descended from those who came before the widespread incorporation of the new words, often have trouble understanding those who have come later. Because of these language barriers, Hungarian Club meetings are held in English. For some, this is seen as a “watering down” of the Club, but a necessary move if all New Mexico Hungarians are to be included. Until a few years ago, there were formal Hungarian classes taught at the University of New Mexico. As of this writing, there are no classes, formal or informal, being taught in Albuquerque. Hungarians do what they can to maintain their language at home, and have gatherings at which Magyar is spoken freely.

Food traditions have been easier to maintain in Albuquerque. Many of the necessary ingredient are readily available, and those that aren’t can be easily ordered online at one of two large Hungarian online stores. Traditional Hungarian cooking is full of strong flavors and spices. Paprika and garlic are staple crops in Hungary, and are found in many of the dishes. Strings of paprika and garlic can be seen hanging to dry against the white walls of Hungarian houses. The Hungarian Club sponsors four events annually at which traditional Hungarian foods are served. Picnics and informal gatherings, which also include Hungarian food, are interspersed throughout the year.

March and October commemorative celebrations of the two Hungarian revolution attempts, as well as the celebration of Saint Nicholas’ (Nikulás) Day, are winter celebrations. The cold weather goes well with the warm and, often heavy, Hungarian foods. There are pork, chicken, or veal stews, called Paprikash, stuffed cabbage leaves, sauces with lots of sour cream and onions,Székely Gyulás, the Transylvanian stew of pork and sauerkraut, Hungarian sausage, which is called Kolbász, noodle dishes, and paprika in everything. Hungarian sweets are present, as well: there is Palacsinta, the little Hungarian crepe, filled with jam or a nut filling, and Szilvás Gomboc, a dumpling made of potato and flour, with a whole plum inside, and rolled in browned cracker meal and sugar; also, Dobos Torte, white cake layered with chocolate and covered with a caramel topping, and Fánk, the little fried Hungarian doughnuts.

Within the Hungarian Club, there is a history group that takes lessons from a man who comes from Las Vegas to teach members in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. This man is active, not only with the Hungarian Club, but also in his home community in Las Vegas. In 2003, he received an award for being Las Vegas’ Most Valuable Senior. A film group also gathers at the home of one Albuquerque couple to view Hungarian films.

Arts and Culture:
There have been many Hungarian artistic traditions represented in Albuquerque over the years. There have been potters and dancers and singers and painters. Many of these artists, however, came to the United States after the 1956 revolution already having learned their art. As these community members have aged, their arts have not generally been passed down within the community, and few new artists have arrived to take their places. Art forms that are still practiced in the Albuquerque area include architecture, embroidery, and music.

At least two Albuquerque architects currently work in the school of Hungarian architecture known as Organic Architecture. Out of the repression that followed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, came an underground artistic movement toward romanticism, and toward the virtues of the past. Traditional styles of folk architecture became the focus. From that focus, and in opposition to the pre-fab, concrete block building of the Soviets, came an “architecture of resistance.” Organic architecture is called such because of its use of natural building materials, such as wood, unfired bricks and clay, and because its designs create buildings that flow with natural surroundings, so as to be living, themselves. Curves, waves, and rounded edges are utilized, and there are few straight lines. Structures are built in tribute to the natural world, rather than lead to its destruction. In this sense, Organic Architecture designs are playful and practical; magical, and also efficient. Resources are used carefully, making Organic Architecture a challenge to both communist and capitalist ways of life.

Albuquerque’s Organic architects use organic style and materials with consideration given to landscape and to efficiency. One of these architects, who is also a professor at UNM and the university planner, teaches a class about using the Southwest as the artistic context for Organic design.

There are women in the Hungarian community who are skilled at Hungarian embroidery, and the tradition is also being upheld by the Sandia Mountain Embroidery Guild. The women of the Guild, few of whom are of Hungarian origin, keep embroidery traditions from many cultures alive in the Albuquerque area. New traditions are introduced as new members come in, or as existing members learn new stitches; and all of these traditions are then passed down in generation and on from one culture to another. Embroidery, or himzés, is a tradition that can be traced back to Hungary’s earliest moments as a Christian nation. The oldest example of Hungarian embroidery surviving today is the robe of King/Saint Stephen I. It is housed in the Hungarian National Museum. Nuns and the ladies of the early, primarily foreign, Hungarian courts brought with them embroidery traditions from the West. Hungarians then offered their own stitches and designs to create their own tradition. Hungarian embroidery was also heavily influenced by Byzantine and Eastern traditions. The combination of these Eastern and Western influences created an overarching embroidery style that is uniquely Hungarian.

Hungarian embroidery flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries. Two distinct traditions, that of folk and that of court embroidery, emerged. In the courts and in the houses of greater nobles, embroidery became a profession. Embroidery workshops were set up on estates wealthy enough to support them. Young girls learned stitches and design from their elders, and would adorn all the textiles of the estate. Embroidery of this tradition was stylized, and formal. The other, folk, tradition was of much freer style. Imaginative, freehand designs that allowed for imperfections were commonplace in this tradition. Embroidery was present in every village, and styles varied slightly from person to person, from village to village.

Most Hungarian embroidery is done on linen, and with woolen thread. However, as with personal and village styles, common regional styles developed, as well. Matyó style, developed in Northern Hungary, covers the whole surface of the material with brightly colored, shimmering designs. Kalocsa, in the Great Plain region, is another embroidery center. Kalocsa embroidery was originally done in white; colored embroidery being introduced at the turn of the 20th century. Embroidery motifs are closely related to painting and pottery motifs of the region. Different regions employ different color patterns, and embroidery is used on both household textiles and clothing, though more frequently in the home on items such as aprons, sheets, towels and kerchiefs.

The history of Hungarian music over the last millennium follows the history of Hungary as a nation. It is a blend of all the influences of European and Turkish occupation, of the musical traditions of neighboring ethnic communities, and of the music that Hungarians brought with them from previous homelands. Evidence shows that when Hungarians arrived to the Carpathian Basin they brought with them three instruments: the drum, pipe (which developed over time into today’s Tárogató), and fiddle, which is the center of today’s Hungarian folk/dance music. They also brought with them many songs and a unique dance tradition that are full of influences from the Eastern cultures they passed through.

Christianity’s sacred music was introduced to Hungary with the arrival of the religion in the 10th century. With Christianity, came the repression of non-Christian expression, and much of the secular music and dance from this time was buried, some, completely lost. After the reign of the Árpáds, the Anjou rulers brought with them Italian musical traditions, which dominated the region for centuries. With the Ottoman presence, from the late 15th through the early 17th centuries, more Eastern influence was introduced.

The Roma, people many here would call Gypsies, brought their own lively traditions with them when they arrived in Hungary with the Ottomans. They were excellent musicians and while the nobility and the classically trained despised them, the common people loved them. They played traditional Hungarian music as well as their own. The Roma are to be credited as instrumental in the survival of Hungarian folk music.

Musical influences continued to enter from the West and, during the 17th and 18th centuries, orchestras and opera companies flourished in the courts of Hungarian royalty and nobility. This was the time of Habsburg rule, and court culture took on a decidedly German air everywhere in Hungary except for Transylvania, which kept Hungarian music and dance traditions alive. Foreign musicians were brought in, overshadowing, at least publicly, Hungary’s own musical traditions.

Dance at this time was divided into two categories, the dances of the nobility and the popular dances. Eventually, repression of Hungarian culture, costume, and even language by the Habsburgs sparked a nationalist feeling among Hungarian people, and it is from this time that a revival of Hungarian music and dance was born. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, when the nobles were dancing the Polish Polonaise and Mazurka, the French Gavotte, the German Waltz, and the French and Russian Quadrilles, traveling theater companies went from town to town teaching the common people traditional Hungarian dance, especially the Hungarian Solo.

Simultaneously, in the 19th century, Hungary began to produce its own classical composers. Ferenc (Franz) Liszt became world famous, and spent most of his life living outside of Hungary. Ferenc Erkel was another native-born composer. Erkel composed the Hungarian national anthem and the first Hungarian opera. In the 1840’s, due in part to Ferenc Liszt, the Hungarian courts began to take up Hungarian dance. This new, refined, form of Hungarian dance came to be called the Csárdás, for its original performance venue, the Hungarian village inn. The Csárdás was quickly adopted by Hungarians from all walks of life. Other Hungarian national dances followed, combining both new and old music and dance steps.

More recent Hungarian composers and musician, such as Bela Bartok and Zoltán Kodály, have taken a look back to the music of Hungary before Western influence. From looking at musical and dance traditions from Central Asia, from where the Hungarians migrated, it is clear that even with all of the outside influence, strong traditions have survived over the course of a thousand years.

Hungarian music and dance are kept alive in Albuquerque through efforts of Hungarians and non-Hungarians, alike. An international folk dance troupe from Los Alamos regularly perform Hungarian folk dances at Hungarian Club events. Community members are invited to join the troupe in learning dance steps at the end of the performance. Currently there is a Hungarian violinist in the UNM orchestra, and there is one professional Hungarian singer who performs for community events, as well.

Annual Events and Celebrations:

The Hungarian-American Club sponsors four annual community celebrations. Three of these celebrations mark significant events in Hungarian history. Gatherings are held at the Edelweiss German Club. Potluck dinners featuring Hungarian food are accompanied by historical presentations and entertainment.

The Club’s annual meeting is always held near the fifteenth of March, which marks the beginning of the 1848 revolution against the Austrian Empire, and is called Hungarian Freedom Day. Each year Nemzeti Dal, the poem used by Sándor Petröfi to rally the Hungarian people to revolution, is recited. A member of the community gives a presentation on some aspect of the Revolution, or a key player. Care is taken not to repeat what has been presented in recent years. Last year, the presentation was on Lajos Kossuth, who was the Hungarian leader during the year of independence following the revolution.

On, or around, August 16th, King/Saint Stephen’s Day is celebrated. Interestingly, the mission church in Acoma Pueblo is dedicated to Saint Stephen, the first Hungarian king, and the pueblo celebrates this day, as well. This is the day on which, in 1083, Saint Stephen was canonized. This is a celebration of what King Stephen did for Hungary, and a celebration of the forming of the Hungarian state. August 16th was celebrated as Hungary’s national day until 1945, when the celebration was abolished under communist rule. Communists declared the new Socialist constitution on this day in 1949, and so from that day until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the day was called “Constitution Day.” Since 1990, August 16th has again been Saint Stephen’s Day. In Budapest, Saint Stephen’s Day is celebrated with fireworks, dancing, food, and a procession in which the remains of Stephen’s right hand are carried through the town. Another aspect of the Budapest celebration is Otto Fest, for King Otto of Bavaria, who traveled to Rome for King Stephen’s crown. Recent history presentations at Club Saint Stephen’s Day celebrations have included the political reformations King Stephen underwent to modernize and Christianize Hungary, and the Great Seal of Hungary, which includes the crest of King Stephen. Last year, the entertainment portion of the program was offered by the Scottish Order of the Thistle Pipe and Drum band; the connection between Saint Stephen and Scotland being a visit by British royals Edmund and Edward Ironside to King Stephen’s court. Edmund Ironside fell in love with Stephen’s daughter, Agatha, and took her back to Britain with him. Eventually, they became Scotland’s royal family, and their daughter, Stephen’s granddaughter, became Queen/Saint Margaret of Scotland.

The third major historic event celebrated by Albuquerque’s Hungarian community is the advent of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against the Soviet Union on October 23rd. Over a hundred Hungarians, their families and friends gather at the Edelweiss Club. People who have traditional embroidered Hungarian outfits wear them. Again, a Hungarian dinner and entertainment are presented alongside a history presentation is given by one of the community’s members. Often, the entertainment for this evening is presented by the international folk dance troupe from Los Alamos. The audience joins in the dancing after the performance, learning traditional Hungarian dance steps. The 1956 revolution was not a successful one, but it was, in the words of one Albuquerque Hungarian, “the first crack in the Russian Empire.”

And, finally, each December 6th, the Hungarian community gathers to celebrate Saint Nicholas’ (Nikulás) Day, as is done in many European cultures. Traditionally, on that day, Saint Nicholas would visit every home, leaving either fruit and nuts or coal and sticks, depending on the previous year’s behavior, in the shoes that children have left on their doorsteps. In Albuquerque, a gathering is held as close to the 6th as possible. Someone dressed as Saint Nicholas comes to join in the festivities, and to give the children sweets and gifts.

Conclusions:
The Hungarian community of Albuquerque is an active one. The Hungarian-American Club was formed in 1988 and publishes a newsletter four times annually and holds four annual formal celebrations. They also host informal gatherings several times a year for history lessons and to watch Hungarian films. Members of the Club reside in all corners of New Mexico and many make the journey to Albuquerque for community celebrations. There is much focus on Hungarian history by the Club, but members also keep current on what is happening in their home country today.

The Hungarian community was more active some years ago, when they participated in Summerfest, and when many of their members were younger. The Club has approximately 75 members, 50% of those are over 60. The Club members see themselves as too small to have their own community center. They are grateful that the German community has available space and that they are able to use this space for their gatherings. The Club members also gather during the summer for picnics, and in colder months at each others’ homes. A lot of effort is put out by community members to keep the community together. Aging members hope that younger ones will step in to fill leadership roles.