The 5th Csángó Festival is behind us, but you are still invited to the photography exhibition “Save the Csángó culture”
The past weekend in Toruń was marked by multicoloured traditional Hungarian, Polish and Ukrainian culture. People from abroad, but also from different corners of Poland, came to the 5th Csángó Festival in Poland. Fortunately, we can still touch the Csángó culture thanks to Gyula Ádám’s photography exhibition, which will run until 25 October at the Kombinat Kultury at 1 Podmurna St. Admission is free.
On 11-13 October, we had a unique opportunity to experience beauty, fun and relaxation through learning about traditional cultures of many nations,” explains Joanna Mieszkowicz, Director of the Csángó Festival in Poland. Csángó melodies intertwined with Polish and Hutsul music, made us dance, make music together, and above all get to know each other better, discover and enrich our lives and relationships. And all this took place in the beautiful scenery of Toruń’s Old Town and the Vistula boulevards.
Impressions of participants
- This music and this kind of meeting does wonders. Completely regenerating, energising and smiling! Thanks for the organisation!
- The energetic and original music appealed not only to me but also to my children. The idea of taking the youngsters to the Csángó Festival in Poland turned out to be a hit. Everyone had a great time. Music brings generations together.
- A really great event, wonderful music and an atmosphere conducive to dancing until dawn, I’ll definitely be coming next year!
- It was over-awesome! Great music, oh and what a vibe!!! I will definitely be there next year!

The Csángó Festival in Poland is a celebration of the traditional culture of Poland and Hungary, which is being joined by other nationalities. Maintaining traditions in everyday life is important – it brings nationalities together – in addition, mixed areas such as that inhabited by the Csángó people (now an area of eastern Romania) and the entire Carpathian region help us to understand humanity and set an example of how to live in peace and harmony.
From Romania, we hosted representatives of the Chango people: master Hungarian flute player, one of the last village musicians (born 1940), permanently living in the Moldovan part of the Chango region – András Hodoroga, István Luki Lukács – fiddler from Gimesz, pupil of the outstanding blind fiddler Janos Zerkula, Gyula Katyi – drummer from Moldova. Among the outstanding multi-instrumentalists and dancers – reenactors of tradition from Hungary were with us: Lídia Draskóczy, Júlia Skopp, Előd Molnár, Gergely Sámsondi, Farkas Gyulai. With his playing on all types of flutes and pipes, we were delighted by Yuri Tafijchuk from the Roman Kumlyk Hutsul Czeremosz band, who was accompanied by: Ivan Kiudyk, dulcimer player, Vasyl Kostiuk, violinist, Josyp Sowa, baraban. This year, for the first time, we had dancers coming from Belarus, but living in Gdansk, who have been teaching Kashubian dances together with the Gdansk band for 100 days. Also with us were Polish reconstructionists of tradition: Paweł Iwan -cymbalist, singer, dancer, Mateusz Niwiński, violinist, Jakub Mielcarek, bass player, Piotr Jop, dancer, the bands Chełmińska and Folkwir, and the Środa Kujawska singing group.

Photography exhibition
You are still welcome to visit Gyula Ádám’s photography exhibition, which will run until 25 October at the Culture Combine on 1 Podmurna Street during the Combine’s opening hours. Admission is free of charge.
Gyula Ádám’s works are united by his desire to collect and document. His diligent and tireless work to capture the everyday takes on real meaning from a historical perspective. He sees the sacred and the supernatural in everyday life. The artist was moved by the dance house movement (táncház) and the turn towards folk values and was one of the few people who regularly visited Hungarian Catholic villages in Romanian Moldova (Moldva) during the communist years (1980), when entry was banned, documenting the daily life of Csángó. Gyula Ádám’s work was considered taboo until the fall of communism, he worked in secret, was not a member of any photographic club, was hardly known for taking pictures and did not participate in the official art scene. He was determined to go his own way, doing what he loved. In 1990, together with his friend Zsolt Barabás, they organised the first exhibition of their travels together, held in Csíkszereda. It was a surprise: visitors were confronted with deep, candid, human material. Their series of photographs of the daily life of Moldovan Csángos was a novelty, covering everything from birth to death. The documentary photographs were filled with emotion rather than dry reality. “It is through the direct expression of emotions that the photographs become complete, carrying the photographer’s message,” – says Gyula Ádám. There was always an excuse, an event in one of the villages, to visit the villages of Transylvania and Moldova (Moldva). But it is not only the performance, the event, that is decisive, but also the opportunity to look “behind the scenes”. Throughout his wide-ranging and versatile artistic and organisational career, culture rooted in the Christian faith has been key to his work. The focus of Gyula Ádám’s paintings is the human being.
Gyula Ádám was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary ‘in recognition of his documentary photographs of the Csángó people of Moldova and Gyimes, Szeklerland and Hungarians living in a dispersed region, which captured the daily life of the Hungarian people with exceptional sensitivity’. In 2022, he was awarded the Zoltán Kallós Prize by the Transylvanian Hungarian Public Culture Association (EMKE). Since 2023, he has been a correspondent member of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts (MMA), photography and film section. He is a professional advisor and jury member of the Szeklerland Photography Biennale and sits on the jury of the CO-EXISTENCE European Photography Competition.
In November, the U Jesuit bookshop will organise a meeting devoted to Polish and Hungarian saints. The pretext is the jubilee of Saint Kinga (Latin: Kunegundis) and Saint Jadwiga (Latin: Hedvigis), which is being celebrated this year. Both rulers and saints of the Catholic Church were born in Hungary and reigned in Poland. For up-to-date information, visit czango.pl
The uniqueness of the Festival
Close, natural, together; ethno&eko, or how? All of the musical festival events take place without an artificial sound system, the stage in the form of a yurt close to the audience, the music audible from a traditional distance. This implies the intimate nature of the event. Other features of our event include a traditional set of instruments, a relaxed old-fashioned pace, concern for the environment, healthy, good-quality local food, and no artificial air conditioning. In the invited musicians, dancers, visitors, we value authenticity in the táncház movement, civic and Christian values and behaviour, relating to each other with respect, without swearing.



Acknowledgements
The organisers Asia Mieszkowicz (Aeris Futuro Foundation), Gergely Sámsondi, Farkas Gyulai (Szépszerével band) would like to especially thank:
- Co-organiser: Consulate General of Hungary in Gdansk headed by Dr. Pál Attila Illés
- Honorary Patrons: Marshal of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Region Piotr Całbecki, Mária Petrás.
- Sponsors for financial support: Wacław Felczak Foundation in Budapest, Hungarian-Polish Non-Governmental Cooperation Programme, Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre, Green crops, mzuri, potrava.pl, gardensdeszczowe.pl. It was also realised thanks to the support of the Municipality of the City of Toruń in the amount of PLN 20 000.00.
- Partners :
- Interns from the Nicolaus Copernicus University – Faculty of Humanities
- The perfect space for concerts, dances and workshops and an exhibition – Culture Combine
- Beautiful spaces of the bourgeois court – Society of the twin towns of Toruń,
- Co-organisation of events in Gdansk – Tricity Association,
- Beautiful and delicious gingerbread – the Living Gingerbread Museum,
- Leading dances with the Folkwir band – W TAN Centre for Dance and Development,
- Senior volunteering – House of Initiatives,
- Delicious food from Weed Prast Vege Bistro,
- Plants and floral bouquets – Tilia Society,
- Logistical support – Bookshop at the Jesuits,
- Maria Montessori Nursery School in Toruń,
- Lighting – Hálo klub Budapest,
- Bread – Lipóti Pékség
- Space and lighting design – Sasvölgy
We invite you to support and enjoy more events in the chango climate!
Contact person: Joanna Mieszkowicz, Festival Director – jmieszkowicz@aerisfuturo.pl, tel. 693 589 391.