Everything about Sz Kely totally explained
» For the village in northeastern Hungary, see Székely (village)
The
Székely (
pronounced [ˈseːkɛj]) or
Szekler people (, ), are a
Hungarian-speaking ethnic group mostly living in the counties of
Harghita,
Covasna and
Mureş in
Romania, with a significant population also living in
Tolna,
Hungary. Based on official 2002 Romanian census numbers, approximately 1,434,000 ethnic-Hungarians live in Romania, mostly in
Transylvania. Of these, about 665,000 live in the counties of
Harghita,
Covasna and parts of
Mureş with a Székely majority. The Székely therefore account for a significant part (45%) of the
Hungarian minority in Romania. When given the choice on the Romanian census between ethnically identifying as "Székely" or "Hungarian," the overwhelming majority of Székely choose the latter. Note that they were not allowed to choose both of them. Therefore, on the
2002 Romanian census only 150 persons declared their ethnicity as "Székely".
Aranyosszék exclave
There are about 10,000–15,000 Székely living in the former territory of
Aranyosszék. Examples of Székely villages there include
Felsőszentmihály (today part of
Mihai Viteazu Commune), or
Felvinc (part of
Unirea Commune). Unlike other parts of the historical Székely Land, the territory has a mixed Romanian-Hungarian population.
History
The Székely were considered the finest warriors of medieval Transylvania. They were part of the
Unio Trium Nationum ("Union of Three Nations") a coalition of the three Transylvanian
Estates, the other two nations being the (also predominantly Hungarian) nobility and the
Saxon (that is,
ethnic German) burghers. These three nations ruled Transylvania, usually in harmony though sometimes in conflict with one another. During the
Long War, the Székely formed an alliance with Prince
Michael the Brave of
Wallachia against the army of
Andrew Cardinal Báthory, recently appointed Prince of
Transylvania.
Controversy about origins
The Székely have historically claimed descent from
Attila's Huns, and feel that they played a special role in shaping Hungary. After the Magyar tribes settled in Pannonia, they believed that they'd special rights to that land as an inheritance from Attila. Székely people adhere proudly to their Hungarian identity.
While the idea of Székely descent from the Huns remains an important part of Székely tradition and folk culture, the theory has lost scholarly currency in the twentieth century. Theories have been advanced suggesting
Avar,
Gepid, or
Turkic ancestry, and some have dated their presence in the Eastern
Carpathians as early as the fifth century. A small number of scholars believe that they're related to
Scythians who might have joined the Magyars on their trek westward and assimilated into the proto-Hungarian culture. Some have also suggested the Székely are simply
Magyars, like other Hungarians; according to this theory, their strongly distinguishable cultural differences stem from centuries of relative isolation in the mountains. Many scholars believe in a two-fold Hungarian migration of Transylvania and the
Pannonian Plain, one prior to the main Magyar conquest of the Pannonian Plain in
896. According to this theory, the Székely are a Hungarian group that settled in Transylvania during this first migration.
Symbols
The Sun and Moon are the symbols of the Székely, as can also be seen in the
coat of arms of Transylvania and on the Romanian national coat of arms. The Sun and Moon symbols represented proto-Hungarian gods, but after the Hungarians became Christians in the eleventh century, their importance became purely visual and symbolic. Their religious significance was lost. The Székely have largely succeeded in preserving their traditions to an extent unusual even in Central and Eastern Europe. The most comprehensive description of the Székely Land and traditions was written between 1859-1868 by
Balázs Orbán in his
Description of Székely land.
Population by county
The Székely live mainly in Harghita, Covasna and Mureş counties. They form a majority of the population in the counties of Covasna and Harghita.
| County |
Székely |
% of county population |
% of worldwide Székely population |
| Harghita |
275,841 |
84.6% |
32.7% |
| Covasna |
164,055 |
73.8% |
19.4% |
| Mureş |
227,673 |
39.2% |
26.9% |
The relatively small and isolated Székely population on the border of
Cluj and
Alba counties (
former Aranyosszék) assimilated more significantly during the 20th century than inhabitants of the compact Székely areas. They can be estimated to be less than 20,000 today.
The
Székelys of Bukovina form a culturally separate group with its own history.
Autonomy
Ever since the abolition of the
Hungarian Autonomous Province by the
Ceauşescu regime in
1968, some of the Székely have pressed for their autonomy to be restored. Several proposals have been discussed within the Székely Hungarian community and by the Romanian majority. One of the
Székely autonomy initiatives is based on the model of the
Spanish autonomous community of
Catalonia.
A major peaceful demonstration was held in 2006 in favor of autonomy
(External Link
).
Fiction
In
Bram Stoker's novel
Dracula, the eponymous
vampire count regards himself as a Székely, and very explicitly presents them as a separate nation from the Hungarians. He describes a history for his people, claiming a descent both from the Huns and also from an "Ugric tribe from
Iceland". He even goes so far as to claim that "after the
battle of Mohacs, we threw off the Hungarian yoke". However, this version of Székely history owes far more to the imagination of Bram Stoker than to any historical fact. The historical
Vlad III Dracula was actually a
Vlach leader of
Wallachia.
Far more accurate in their depictions of the Székely are the novels of
Tamási Áron, a twentieth-century writer from
Farkaslaka who set universal stories of love and self-individuation against the backdrop of Székely village culture.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sz Kely'.
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