Today is a really important holiday in Hungary--St. Stephen's Day. It commemorates the founding of the Hungarian state in 1000 A.D. by the first king of Hungary, King Stephen. His name in Hungarian is "Istvan" [EESHT-vahn]. Here are a couple of pictures I took of some of the people in the parade in traditional Hungarian dress:
Here are some little flag twirlers:
And some people from an Italian drill team (people come from a lot of countries to participate in the Flower Carnival here in Debrecen):
Finally, here's a little video I took of parts of the parade:
Hungary was founded as a Christian nation way back in 1000 AD, but to most people it is simply a cultural Christianity and not something that touches their everyday lives. Please pray that the people will come to realize that a Christian
heritage cannot take the place of a personal relationship with Christ,
and that Hungarian believers will take this opportunity to share their
faith with those around them. Pray that Hungary will become a country
that is not only culturally Christian, but also known as a place where
the Lord is truly honored in the hearts and lives of the people.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 33:12a).