HUNGARIAN CULTURE DAY: THE SELMEC STUDENT TRADITIONS ARE OUR EXCEPTIONAL HERITAGE

24. January 2023. 08:40

The Selmec student traditions at the University of Miskolc are of unparalleled cultural value. The Selmec student traditions preserved at the University of Miskolc and its former partner institution, the University of Sopron, were inscribed on the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2014. On the Day of Hungarian Culture, we will recall the elements of Selmec's student traditions and what they mean to students at the University of Miskolc today. 

 

 

 

UM's predecessor, the Mining and Metallurgy Institute, founded in 1735 in Selmecbánya (now located in Slovakia), was the first in the world to teach higher mining and metallurgy. The school was elevated to academic status by Maria Theresia in 1762. In this institution of higher learning, many student traditions were developed and passed down from class to class, and have remained with the students over the centuries. 

 

"Those who are part of this tradition from their first year at university form an extremely cohesive community. What is most striking is that each faculty has a different uniform, a very colourful palette," said Marcell Dojcsák, a student at the Faculty of Earth Science and Engineering. 

 

The first-year students are “Pagans”, who can wear the name “Balek” after their education and exams. After passing the "basic rigours", the student becomes a “Firma” and after graduation a “Veteran”. 

 

The highlight of the tradition is the professional ceremonies, which have a set agenda. It is at a ceremony that the Baleks are christened, the Firms are inaugurated, the ribbon and ring of the graduates, and the traditional beer mugs are presented. The Notables sing the Selmec student songs –people don't know that many of the songs sung at high school graduations in Hungary originated in Selmecbánya. 

 

It is a spectacular and solemn event when the graduating students of the University of Miskolc bid farewell to the city of Miskolc with a torchlight procession called the “Salamander”, in keeping with the traditions of Selmec.