The Great Kurultáj, or simply Kurultáj, is a traditional event of Central Asian nomadic origins, which takes place in the first week of August in Bugac, Hungary. The aim of this event is to strengthen the unity of the Eurasian steppe-nomadic horse culture and traditions among Hungarians and their cultural relatives, including Eastern Turkic peoples and Uralic peoples. The first Kurultáj was held in the Torgay Region of Kazakhstan in 2007. Kurultáj is an event for professional horsemen and fans of horse riding. Each Kurultáj holds the parade of horsemen, horse races, traditional horsemen wrestling and various tournaments. The first Kurultáj in Hungary was held in 2008.Interview with Imre Laslotsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Kazakhstan: "Exploring own Origins", by Daniyar Kassymov. In: International popular scientific historical magazine "Mangilik El: in the stream of History", registered in the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Certificate No.13768-Zh. Page 13. 02.08.2013.
Hungary is the only European nation to have preserved the traditional kokpar game, a strategic team sport for riders.
Background
The original Kurultáj were held by nomadic people of the Steppes, especially for various chieftains to gather to elect the successor to a recently deceased Khan. The word "kurultáj" and its variations in the Turkic languages translates as "meeting of the tribes". It occurs amongst tribal nations and practically in all the nomadic cultures. Hungarian nomadic tribes also held these meetings, a fact that is mentioned in Byzantine and Arab written sources. At such meetings, important decisions were made, in particular, the leaders of the tribes would meet often to discuss military decisions and strategies.
Turanist ideology
The Great Kurultáj is based on Turanist pan-nationalism that promtes the idea of unity between the Hungarian and Turkic peoples, based on the Altaic language family which has been rejected by linguists. The Great Kurultáj has been criticized for historical revisionism as a way to embellish Hungarian history, and the event's political association with far-right politics.
Participating nations and states
A total of 13 nations and 33 states participate.
Participating nations: Asia (6):, , , , Europe (7): , , , , , , ,
Turkic nations and states (22)
Crimean Tatars Cypriot Turks
Madjars Nogai
Uyghurs Turkomans
Uralic nations and states (11) Csangos
(Host) Karelians Khanty-Mansi
Nenets Sápmi Szekely
Mongolic nations and states (3)
Northeast Caucasian states (3) Avar
Northwest Caucasian states (2)
Kabardin
Indo-European nations and states (3)
Hazara
Tungusic states (2) Evenki Manchus
Others (1)
Events 2008: Unknown 2013: 9 to 11 AugustKurultaj Festival delves into Hungarian history in Kyiv Post on August 12, 2013 2014: Took place at Bugac in the Southern Great Plain region in HungaryKURULTAJ – Nomadic Culture and Tribal Traditions in Daily News Hungary on August 14, 2014 2015: Organized by the Hungarian Turan Foundation with contributions from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and named the year's event Ancestors Day. Representatives from the governments of Hungary and Turkey joined the festivities as well 2016: Took place from 12 to 14 August at Bugac 2018: Unknown 2020: Cancelled 2022: Culture + music + sports (horse + archery + Guresh)
Medalists:
Gallery
See also Altaic language Bugac Huns Jirga Pan-Turanism Pan Turkism World Turks Qurultai List of festivals in Asia List of festivals in Europe
References
External links
Bugac // Puszta . com Information