The Székely Gyors and the Csíksomlyó Express have set off for Transylvania

The Csíksomlyó Express departed from Szombathely early in the morning, then arrived at the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest after stopping in Sopron, Kapuvár, Csorna, Győr, Komárom and Tatabánya. In the capital, the Csíksomlyó Express was connected to the Székely Gyors waiting there, and they set off as one train via Békéscsaba towards Transylvania.

The special train, about half a kilometer long, will carry almost one and a half thousand pilgrims to the Csíksomlyó farewell and the festive programs. The train is pulled by a locomotive with a sticker in memory of Áron Tamási.

The train passengers will attend the Holy Mass in Búcsú on Saturday, and the next day they will continue to the thousand-year-old border of historical Hungary, Gyimesbük, where the pilgrims will also attend a Holy Mass and then a full-day celebration with the train’s guests of honor, the Ferenc Liszt Prize-winning artist Kamilla Dévai Nagy and the Mari Jászai Prize-winning actor Sándor Sasvári, who will arrive on horseback from the special trains to the border. During the program, the train passengers will hand over the donations collected on the train for the benefit of the Székely, Csángó and Transylvanian Hungarian children.

According to legend, the first pilgrimage in Csíksomlyó was held in 1567, when János Zsigmond wanted to force the Catholic Székelys to adopt the Unitarian religion with weapons. The people of Csík, Gyergyó and Kászon gathered in Csíksomlyó on Pentecost Saturday, asked for the help of the Virgin Mary, and then defeated the army of John Sigismund in the Harghita Thief Pass. After the victory, they gave thanks again in Csíksomlyó, and at the same time made a vow to make a pilgrimage there every year on Pentecost Saturday.