This year the Patara Festival was organized on the shores of the Öreg (Old) Lake in Tata for the 16th time. The Representation Office of the Organization of Turkic Times (OTS) participated in the Festival held between May 24–26 for the third time. The Representation Office organized the fourth competition for high school students with the title ”Honeycomb and Pomegranate” – parallelly with the “Student Patara” – on the first day of the event. After coming third last year, the students of Nádudvar won again, while the “Great Cumans” from Karcag were again on the second place.
The three-day Festival was one of the most outstanding events of the Cultural Memorial Year, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Republic of Türkiye and the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Hungary and Türkiye. The more than 500 traditionalists from Hungary and abroad appeared in contemporary clothes, with military equipment, weapons that could be tested by both children and adults, as well as with authentic battle scenes. Besides that military shows the visitors were also acquainted with everyday life in 16th–17th centuries, the contemporary crafts, customs and food.
The Representation Office of the Organization of Turkic Times (OTS) participated in the Festival already for the third time. During the first day the “Student Patara” was traditionally held. Despite the rainy and stormy weather, this year more than 700 primary school children entered the competition. They were again joined by high school students so that they could take part in the “Honeycomb and Pomegranate” competition, organized by the Representation Office of the OTS. Nine schools – among them Nádudvar, Karcag and Maarif – returned from previous years, and the local teams entering the competition for the first time were giving their best to win the prizes offered by the Representation Office.
The questions and jobs in the quiz were put together in a way that they could be linked with the OTS, memorable anniversaries and events, as well as with the Hungarian – Turkish Cultural Memorial Year. Besides these, the competitors had to be familiar with the national symbols, the traditional dishes and folk instruments of the member states of the OTS, as well as the warfare of the Ottoman occupation. In the course of the competition, the students had to find the hidden patara itself on the premises of the Festival. This was nothing else but a copy of the tool that was intended to blast the contemporary gates of the castle.
The teams were competing at the stations located on the premises of the Castle of Tata and around the Lake for several hours. At each stop they were invited to fill in a test and learn their way around the geography and history of the Turkic states. The competition that came to an end early in the afternoon was won by Nádudvar which has been among the best three in the previous years.
While handing over the prizes, Géza Gonda, the project director of the Representation Office, underlined the commitment and proficiency of the teams, expressing his hope that the young people participating in the competition will be in the future too interested in Turkology, the culture of the Turkic people, their history and their present as well.
The event this year had a unique feature – by joining the series of events of the Cultural Memorial Year – a separate Turkish court of crafts was also set up, and the famous Turkish archer, Murat Özveri also offered demonstrations of his expertise. The Turkish State Dance Ensemble also took the floor.
In her welcoming remarks, the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Budapest, Gülşen Karanis Ekşioğlu, pointed out that she was participating in the Patara in Tata for the first time. Her Excellency stressed that the friendship between Hungary and Türkiye was characterized for centuries as a rivalry. However, today we can see in all fields that the Hungarian and Turkish people support and help each other. “The Patara in Tata is a festival that revives the battles in the 16th century and today it is held in the spirit of friendship, reconciliation and cooperation,” said Ambassador Ekşioğlu.
The final result of the “Honeycomb and Pomegranate” competition in 2024:
- ,,Tarhonyászok” – Folk Artisan High School and Dormitory in Nádudvar
- ,,Nagykunok” (Great Cumans) –Sámuel Szentannai Reformed Church Grammar School and Dormitory in Karcag
- ,,Osztmán Mindegy” – Reformed Church Grammar School in Tata
