Csángó
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Csángó Ceangăi |
|---|
| Total population |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Romania (Moldavia), Hungary (Tolna) |
| Languages |
| Romanian, Hungarian (dialect) |
| Religions |
| Roman Catholics (almost exclusively) |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Hungarians, Székely |
The Csángó (Romanian: Ceangău, plural Ceangăi) are an ethnic group of Roman Catholic faith, some speaking a Romanian and some Hungarian dialect. They live mostly in Bacău County in Romania, with many across the national frontier in the Republic of Moldova.
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[edit] History
The ethnic background of Csángó/Ceangăi is nevertheless disputed, since, due to its active connections to the neighboring Polish kingdom and to the Papal States, Roman Catholic faith persisted in Moldavia throughout medieval times. Along with marked cultural and ethno-linguistic differences between Hungarian-speaking and Romanian-speaking Csángó/Ceangăi, this historical background explains why some Csángó/Ceangăi claim having Hungarian while others Romanian ancestry.
The Csángó can be distinguished from other Hungarian ethnic groups by their linguistic peculiarities, traditions and folklore. Their identity as a people was based on their linguistic and religious differences from the Moldavian-Romanians nearby. Since the Middle Ages, Hungarian-speaking Csángó have lived isolated from the larger body of Hungarian speakers, which also meant that they were largely untouched by the nationalist movements that swept 19th century Europe and led to the formation of modern nations. As a consequence, the primary identity of the Csángó was not national (Hungarian as opposed to Romanian) but rather confessional (Roman Catholic as opposed to Eastern Orthodox).
In 2001 the Council of Europe has expressed its concerns about the situation of the Csángó minority culture[1], and discussed that the Csángós speak an early form of Hungarian and are associated with ancient traditions, and a great diversity of folk art and culture, which is of exceptional value for Europe. It was also mentioned that although not everybody agrees on this number it is thought that between 60 000 and 70 000 people speak the Csángó language. The Council of Europe has also expressed concerns that despite the provisions of the Romanian law on education and the repeated requests from parents there is no teaching of Csángó language in the Csángó villages, as a consequence, very few Csángós are able to write in their mother tongue. The document also discussed that the Csángós make no political demands, but merely want to be recognised as a distinct culture and demand education and church services in the Csángó language.
[edit] Population
It is difficult to estimate the exact number of the Csángó because of the elusive nature and multiple factors (ethnicity, religion and language) of Csángó identity.
As far as ethnic identification is concerned, in the census of 2002, 4,317 declared themselves Hungarians and 796 declared themselves Csángó in Bacău County, reaching a total of 5,794 out of the county's total population of 706,623.
In terms of religious affiliation, the total number of Roman Catholics in Moldavia is 239,938 (2002 census), but only 43% of these live in settlements where Hungarian is spoken. As far as language use is concerned, the Council of Europe gives estimates that put the total number of Hungarian-speaking Csángó people between 60,000 and 70,000, "Although not everybody agrees on this number" (it may be higher or lower).[3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ C COMMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA ON THE SECOND OPINION OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES IN ROMANIA (5 December 2006)
- ^ Roman catholics with Hungarian origin in Moldavia
- ^ Council of Europe Recommendation 1521 (2001) on the Csango minority culture in Romania
[edit] External links
- Associaton of Csángó-Hungarians in Moldova
- The Roman-Catholics of Moldavia (so-called "Csangos")
- Council of Europe Recommendation 1521 (2001) on the Csango minority culture in Romania
- Song of the Csangos — National Geographic Magazine
- (Romanian) Fundaţia culturală Siret
- (Romanian) Comunitatile catolice din Moldova
- Home page of Romanian Roman-Catholics (Csángó)
- (Romanian) Comunitatile catolice din Moldova
- Romanians Roman-Catholics Museum (csángó museum)
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