Debrecen4U November 18, 2025

Commemoration of the 252nd Anniversary of the Birth of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz in Debrecen

Debrecen honoured Csokonai’s 252nd anniversary with wreaths and a message from the deputy mayor, encouraging youth to create a city of opportunity.

“Many of us think of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz as if he were still a living presence in our city—someone we can turn to, speak to, and who continues to speak to us today,” Deputy Mayor István Puskás said at the commemoration held at the Csokonai memorial on Dorottya Street, November 17, 2025.

He noted that Debrecen will compete next year for the title of Hungary’s Youth Capital, with 11 Hungarian cities presenting themselves to the world in a contest on December 5. He added that Csokonai would excel in creative challenges, as he was a genius of the Hungarian language, expressing his views on the world with a youthful voice and conveying his own thoughts and emotions. According to the deputy mayor, if the poet lived today, he would perform on the main stage of the Campus Festival or give concerts at Budapest Park. He encouraged participants to read Csokonai’s poems as if they were slam poetry or rap.

Speaking to young people, the deputy mayor called for a collective effort to shape a Debrecen that provides greater opportunities for today’s students and serves as a supportive place for talent to flourish.

At the ceremony, ninth-grade students of the Mihály Csokonai Vitéz Secondary School of Debrecen presented a program in honour of the poet. Afterwards, representatives of the school, the municipality, and educational and cultural institutions laid wreaths at the poet’s memorial.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu