Today more than 33000 people is going to read Sándor Kányádi’s works aloud on the 17^th of February, 2015. People from 12 countries and 167 settlements applied to join the marathon.

Within the national borders and from 125 settlements, more than 28000 people is reading out the poet’s rich oeuvre. Harghita County’s 65 settlements has also joined the marathon with more than 18000 readers, and nearly 5000 foreign readers from 11 countries and 42 settlements. These numbers are not definitive. We are waiting for the news and posts from the participants across the borders.

The opening ceremony of the Sándor Kányádi reading marathon started at 10 o’clock AM in the lecture hall of the Kájoni János County Library of Harghita, which is the major locale of the event, where an exhibition of Sándor Kányádi’s works were waiting for the readers. The event’s mood was created in the first place by László Kovács music master and his pupil, Kinga Boglárka Geréd (Nagy István High School of Arts) by performing a violin music called Népdalok két hegedűre. The welcome speech was held by the library director, Katalin-Mária Kopacz. Gábor Szarka greeted the readers on the behalf of the Hungarian Consulate General of Csíkszereda: “We find it natural that the Hungarian Consulate General read together with the audience who love the literature of Székely Land and Csíkszereda. It is a very special event for us, a great honor.” Csaba Borboly, the president of the Harghita County Council greeted the marathon participants as the first reader and he read the so called Nagyküküllő poem, then the library director, Katalin Kopacz continued it, who was followed by the five-member delegation of the Hungarian Consulate General of Csíkszereda and the library director of the Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, László Balog, who read one of Kányádi’s poems.

The young readers continued after the adults finished their readings. The groups of the town’s different schools read out one after the other in the morning. Firstly, from the two classes of the Petőfi Sándor Elementary School. The 4^th grade students sang the poem Hallgat az erdő in chorus. The 3^rd grade students of the Nagy Imre Elementary School were the next to come. They sang songs from the Küküllő Kalendárium that were accompanied by flute. Then the 10^th grade students of the Márton Áron High School continued the marathon, and the participants could also hear the so called Fától fáig and the Fekete-piros poems as the Hungarian teacher, Ágoston Boldizsár read them. Participants from the school’s three classes read out in the county library during the morning, but they also read in the school library. Nine students of the Venczel József Secondary School read the poems of Kányádi in English, then the students of the Segítő Mária High School arrived at the library’s lecture hall. Mostly adults read out in the afternoon.

Csíkszereda’s 21 institutions joined to apply the public reading, among them the first was the library of the Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, but the majority of other educational institutions, high schools, elementary schools and kindergartens from Csíkszereda had also organized public readings. More than 2500 people have read in various locations in Csíkszereda during the day. The members of the Harghita County Council had also announced their intention to join the public reading, amongst whom nearly a hundred people read out. The institutions usually organized public readings at their own site, but delegates from several other local schools had also arrived to our library. Nine members of the Hargita Népe newspaper’s editorial staff had read out in our library as well.

During the afternoon the Kájoni János Scout Team members of the Segítő Mária High School arrived in the library as well as the 21 members of the Németh Géza Cultural Association. A few members of the library’s reading circle had read out as well, so did the library’s co-workers and others. A total of 318 people read out in the library. Kányádi’s best-known as well as his lesser-known poems were quoted during the day, such as the Fától fáig, Fekete-piros, Nyergestető, A kökösi hídon, Vannak vidékek. László Mirk, the Hungarian teacher read the so called Levéltöredékek poem, while the writer, Gábor Cseke quoted an excerpt from Kányádi’s only drama. The Romanian translation of the poet’s poems were read out as well.

Sándor Kányádi messaged the participants of the marathon through the Székelyhon.ro portal:

“My message to everyone: the poem is that needs to be told. You should read this on the public readings. Unfortunately I could not attend the marathon, but I’m very happy that so many people read my poems today. Thank you very much, and I may repay this through living words, if I have the opportunity.”

About the Kányádi reading marathon in the media:

Beáta Péter: Thousands of people read the the works of Kányádi. Székelyhon.ro. The 17^th of February, 2015

Zsolt Iochom’s video report. Székelyhon.ro. The 17^th of February, 2015