Not many people know in the continent, but 1456 is an important date of the history of Europe.
Christian forces led by Hungarian general Janos Hunyadi defeated the Turks at Nándorfehérvár (now Belgrade) thus kept back the Muslims to invade Europe.
During the siege Pope Callixtus III ordered the bells of every European church to be rung every day at noon, as a call for believers to pray for the defenders.
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| Commemorating Nándorfehérvár in Budapest (MTI photo) |
The practice of noon bell is traditionally attributed to the victory.
In 2011 Hungary’s parliament declared July 22 to be a memorial day of the triumph.
On Sunday Hungarians commemorated the victory with parade of boats, salvo, historic march, religious ceremony and street show.
I don’t want to be a killjoy, but have to mention that in 1526 the Turks achieved a historic victory over the fragmented Hungarian troops and occupied a significant part of the country for about 150 years.
