During the 2001 census 4,885 people in Hungary declared Ukrainian language as their mother tongue and 5,070 considered themselves to be of Ukrainian nationality. Those adhering to, and following Ukrainian cultural values and traditions numbered 4,779. Approximately two-thirds of the ethnic Ukrainians are Hungarian citizens (3,358 persons) while from the Ukrainian-speaking community 3,183 people possess Hungarian citizenship (65.45 percent of the total).
Up until February of 1999, the Ukrainian national minority living in Hungary had been represented solely by the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Hungary (MUKE), when as a result of local elections of 1998 the voters opted for the creation of the Ukrainian National Self-Government (UOÖ). The UOÖ has been functioning continuously on their behalf ever since.
In the course of the nationality self-government elections on 3 October 2010, 53 settlements initiated the creation of an electoral roll for Ukrainian nationalities. Altogether 1,338 people were listed on these rolls, and Ukrainian nationality self-government elections were scheduled in 23 settlements and Budapest districts.
The Ukrainian Cultural Association of Hungary is the primary engine behind the Ukrainian community’s life in Hungary. Its activity involves the cultivation of the mother tongue and Ukrainian folk traditions, as well as the preservation of historical heritage and dissemination of cultural values. In addition to poetry books and historical studies, the association publishes Hromada, a Ukrainian-Hungarian bilingual magazine, which is brought out every two months and is fully subsidized by the association.
UOÖ organizes Ukrainian language teaching within the Sunday school system. The Ukrainian Sunday School outsourced branches function aside of Budapest in the towns of Szeged, Komárom and Várpalota. These branches primarily provide native language instruction for kindergarten and elementary school children, as well the passing on of folk culture (songs, music, literature, traditions) in an organized fashion, in accordance with a unified curriculum. There is a possibility to learn Ukrainian language at the high school level in Baktalórántháza, and at the advanced level in Budapest, Szeged, Nyíregyháza and Debrecen. The accreditation of Ukrainian language and literature has been completed at Eötvös Loránd University in 2008, and the same year, another accreditation was carried out for Ukrainian teaching and a Ukrainian nationality master.
The artistic groups of the Ukrainian nationality community include the Veszelka Youth Dance Ensemble and the Berehínya Women’s Choir who are regular participants at festive holiday events. The Ukrainian Amateur Theatre continues to function within the framework of MUKE, which schedules plays by classical and contemporary Ukrainian playwrights. The national body has established and currently operates the Ukrainian Ethnology Museum, which continuously updates and enhances its collection.
Masses in native Ukrainian language are offered at the Greek Catholic church in Fő Street, where ceremonial masses are held mostly on religious holidays.
Hungarian Television’s „Rondo”, a nationality TV magazine program is broadcasted every month, with brief news concerning nationalities. Hungarian Radio broadcasts nationality programs weekly, which can be received nationwide. MR4 channel has a 30-minute native language program for Ukrainians once a week.
The Ukrainian National Self-Government set the tone in creating memorial sites: it raised a statue next to the Abbey Church at Tihany in memory of King Andrew I and his wife Anastasia, a Ukrainian princess. It also unveiled a memorial plaque in Budapest for the 160th anniversary of the Hungarian edition of the almanac entitled Ruszalka Dnyisztrovaja. Finally, another plaque was unveiled to honour the 275th anniversary of the birth of Hrihoríj Szkovoroda at Tokaj, where the philosopher spent long years. In June of 2007, Presidents László Sólyom and Viktor Juscsenko unveiled a statue for Tarasz Sevcsenko at Ganz Street under ceremonial circumstances. In the presence of the Ukrainian President, there was a memorial plaque unveiled to honour victims of the Great Ukrainian Famine at Petőfi Square. A similar memorial was unveiled in 2010 at the Gloria Victis memorial park at Csömör.
The Ukrainian National Self-Government keeps close ties with the European Ukrainian Congress as well as organizations of the Ukrainian World Congress with the intermediary help of the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Hungary. Several programs and memorial events organized by the diaspora were orchestrated in unison with the above organizations – for example, the memorial march to honour the Great Ukrainian Famine under the title „inextinguishable flame” passed through 33 countries, including Hungary, where it passed by the Sevcsenko statue, the Parliament Building and the House of Terror Museum.
In 2007, Ukrainians established an institution name the Ukrainian Cultural and Documentation Centre of Hungary (MUKDK), whose function was the preparation, organization and completion of cultural events, as well as the management and uploading of archives.
Ever since 1998 every 20 February the Ukrainian community unanimously celebrates the so-called Ukrainian Culture Day of Hungary, and in March they hold a memorial day for Tarasz Sevcsenko. They also celebrate religious holidays with their families, such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost.
The Ukrainian National Self-Government carries out significant publishing activities in Ukrainian language, mainly focusing on Ukrainian poets in Hungary, the autonomous representation of Ukrainians in Hungary and books on Ukrainian history.
The self-government regularly organizes musical-literature evenings to honour the anniversary of famous Ukrainian poets and writers, at which masterpieces of Ukrainian culture can be heard through the interpretation of Hungarian and native Ukrainian performers, while during the summer they organize an international youth camp for ethnic Ukrainians living in Hungary and surrounding countries. Furthermore they operate a film club. Annually, all age groups can participate in the poetry and essay competition entitled „Source” and each year they organize several exhibitions from the works of artists living in Hungary as well as in Ukraine.
Members of the national association take part in domestic and international cultural conferences to maintain Hungarian-Ukrainian scientific relations.
The Ukrainian National Self-Government publishes a web page, on which the self-government’s activities can be seen with daily updates, and the previously mentioned magazine called Hromada published by MUKE. Various relevant Hungarian and Ukrainian Internet sites can be found here as well.
