Great Kurultáj

Kurultáj - Nations parade

The Great Kurultáj, or simply Kurultáj, is a traditional event of Central Asian nomadic origins, which takes place in the first week of August in Bugac, Hungary. The aim of this event is to strengthen the unity of the Eurasian steppe-nomadic horse culture and traditions between Hungarians and their cultural relatives, eastern Turkic peoples and Uralic peoples. The first Kurultáj was held in the Torgay Region of Kazakhstan in 2007. Kurultáj is an event for professional horsemen and fans of horse riding. Each Kurultáj holds the parade of horsemen, horse races, traditional horsemen wrestling and various tournaments. The first Kurultáj in Hungary was held in 2008.[1]

Hungary is the only European nation to have preserved the traditional kokpar game, a strategic team sport for riders.[2]

Background

The original Kurultáj were held by nomadic people of the Steppes, especially for various chieftains to gather to elect the successor to a recently deceased Khan. The word "kurultáj" and its variations in the Turkic languages translates as "meeting of the tribes". It occurs amongst tribal nations and practically in all the nomadic cultures. Hungarian nomadic tribes also held these meetings, a fact that is mentioned in Byzantine and Arab written sources. At such meetings, important decisions were made, in particular, the leaders of the tribes would meet often to discuss military decisions and strategies.[3]

Turanist ideology

The Great Kurultáj is based on Turanist pan-nationalism that promtes the idea of unity between the Hungarian and Turkic peoples, based on the Altaic language family which has been rejected by linguists. The Great Kurultáj has been criticized for historical revisionism as a way to embellish Hungarian history, and the event's political association with far-right politics.[4][5][6]

Participating nations and states

A total of 13 nations and 33 states participate.

Participating nations:

  1. Asia (6):  Kazakhstan,  Uzbekistan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Turkmenistan,  South Korea,  Mongolia
  2. Europe (7):  Azerbaijan,  Turkey,  Hungary,  Estonia,  Finland,  Bulgaria,  Greece

Turkic nations and states (22)

Uralic nations and states (11)

Mongolic nations and states (3)

Northeast Caucasian states (3)

Northwest Caucasian states (2)

Indo-European nations and states (3)

Tungusic states (2)

Others (1)

Events

  • 2008: Unknown
  • 2013: 9 to 11 August[8]
  • 2014: Took place at Bugac in the Southern Great Plain region in Hungary[9]
  • 2015: Organized by the Hungarian Turan Foundation with contributions from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and named the year's event Ancestors Day. Representatives from the governments of Hungary and Turkey joined the festivities as well[10]
  • 2016: Took place from 12 to 14 August at Bugac[11]
  • 2018: Unknown
  • 2020: Cancelled
  • 2022: Culture + music + sports (horse + archery + Guresh)[12]

Medalists:[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Interview with Imre Laslotsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Kazakhstan: "Exploring own Origins", by Daniyar Kassymov. In: International popular scientific historical magazine "Mangilik El: in the stream of History", registered in the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Certificate No.13768-Zh. Page 13. 02.08.2013.
  2. ↑ "KURULTAJ". www.deviantart.com. 29 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Information". kurultaj.hu.
  4. ↑ Mikanowski, Jacob; Brook, Daniel; Valle, Gaby Del; Smallwood, Christine (2020-08-05). "The Call of the Drums, by Jacob Mikanowski". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  5. ↑ Patin, Katia (2022-12-21). "In Hungary, it's Central Asia to the rescue". Coda Story. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  6. ↑ Khan, Razib (2019-07-20). "Hungarian nationalism and the ghosts of Turan". Gene Expression. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  7. ↑ "A Kurultaj bemutatkozott az Eurázsiai – Altaj fesztiválon – Dél-Koreában". 24 September 2017.
  8. ↑ Kurultaj Festival delves into Hungarian history in Kyiv Post on August 12, 2013
  9. ↑ KURULTAJ – Nomadic Culture and Tribal Traditions in Daily News Hungary on August 14, 2014
  10. ↑ Anadolu Agency (August 18, 2015). "Turkey, Hungary jointly commemorate Atilla the Hun". www.dailysabah.com.
  11. ↑ "A 2016. évi Kurultaj időpontja: augusztus 12-13-14". kurultaj.hu. 8 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "Information".
  13. ↑ "Kurultaj 2022 – Hagyományőrző sportversenyek eredményei". 5 September 2022.
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