Project Harvest Hope

Promoting economic development in Transylvania

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Theology of the Table Pilgrimage

To Budapest and Transylvania

September 23 to October 4, 2008

In this pilgrimage, we will enter into a conversation between the disciplines of Theology and Ecological Gastronomy. As we walk village roads and sit at plank tables, we will dwell for a time in the union of:

• Land and Food
• Farmers and Eaters
• Rural and Urban
• Host and Guest
• Landscape and Table

We will stay with village families and experience the relationship between farmers, producers and ourselves at the table.  We will ponder the theological frameworks of these relationships in the past and in modern culture.

We will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and harvest festival with our host families. We’ll help prepare the community feast, receive Communion in an ancient village church, dance and sing and rejoice in the meeting of land, labor and table.

To Apply: Fill out the application and return to the address listed on the form.

JOIN US FOR THIS UNIQUE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE!

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Jump to Leaders and Faculty
Jump to Tentative Itinerary
Jump to Pricing
Jump to Optional Post-Trips
Jump to Air Travel
Jump to Orientation
Jump to Policies and Restrictions

Pilgrimage Leaders and Faculty

Cecilia Kingman Miller is Vice-President of Project Harvest Hope.  She and her children lived in Oklánd, Transylvania for several months during her seminary training, working alongside PHH’s local partners.  She now serves as the Interim Minister at the Edmonds UU Church in Edmonds, Washington. Cecilia is a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry, and her areas of emphasis were Unitarian church history, liberation theology, and the role of religious people in social movements. Cecilia has been leading PHH pilgrimages since 2000.

Linda Colwell is a classically trained chef whose passion rests in the preservation of bio-cultural diversity.  Poised at the intersection of traditional food cultures and the challenges of modern production, she advises communities on creating value-based models for change. She is best known for her work in the Farm to School movement in Portland, Oregon. Her experiences include commercial salmon fishing, butchering and preserving, tasting the land, and working with local farmers.

Éva Kelemen, Pilgrimage Coordinator, is Project Harvest Hope’s local representative in
Transylvania, and has been leading superbly organized and educational pilgrimages for over ten years.  Eva has a degree in American literature, teaches English in the village school and formerly served as school principal.  She and her husband, the Rev. Levente Kelemen, are the founders of Harvest Hope pro Homoród, a cooperative sustainable development NGO in the Homoród Valley.

Faculty

In addition to the trip leaders listed above, the following will join us as guest faculty:
 
Gábor Kolumbán—President and Professor of Agronomy, Sapientia University of Transylvania; President, Unitarian Church of Transylvania; Founding President, Civitas Foundation for Civil Society.  A farmer-prophet similar to America’s Wendell Berry, Gábor will share with us his vision of a sustainable future and the reimagining of democratic societies.
 
Levente Kelemen—A visionary local leader, Levente serves as minister in the tiny village of Oklánd.  He and his wife Eva revived rural cooperative development in the face of post- communist despair, and have served as a model of local initiative throughout the region.

Additional seminars will be led by local professors and village leaders.  Much of our learning will occur working alongside the men and women of the village.

Tentative Itinerary

Note: We call this a tentative itinerary because there are always changes made in the schedule.  Traveling in Eastern Europe requires flexibility and patience.  However, you can generally expect that we will do most of the things listed in the itinerary.

ARRIVAL: It is necessary that you arrive in Bucharest by the evening of September 23.  If you prefer to arrive the day before, a block of rooms will be available at our gateway hotel; however, you may make other arrangements as desired.  See “Travel Arrangements” below.

In addition to the activities listed below, every day there will be time for reflection, journal writing, and other personal time.  Most days we hold a pilgrim check-in, and deeper group reflection as needed.  Project Harvest Hope Pilgrimages are designed with an intentional spiritual discipline, and we invite our travelers to see this not as a tour but a time of personal spiritual growth and reflection, as well as a journey into the heart of another culture.
 

Tentative Daily Schedule:

(If you are interested in looking up these locations on a map, you will need to use the official Romanian place names, in parenthesis.  Out of respect for our Hungarian hosts, we use the older Hungarian names.)

 

9/23 Tuesday— Bucharest arrival, gathering of pilgrims and opening dinner.

9/24 Wednesday — Travel day to Miklósvár, where we will visit the country estate of Count Kalnoky.  Along the way we will stop in the Saxon town of Brassó (Brasov).

9/25 Thursday — Drive into the remote Homoród Valley.  We will make our home for a few days in the small village of Oklánd (Ocland) where we will stay with village families.   Translators are provided to facilitate connections with your hosts. 

As we arrive the villagers will be preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving in Oklánd is a village reunion, and everyone who is from the village returns to celebrate. The holiday is the traditional harvest celebration and community holiday.  The village works together to prepare a meal, and we will be able to participate in the various tasks of creating the celebratory party.

9/26  Friday — Work Day
Today the food will be prepared for the holiday, and we will have the option of participating in a dísznoöles, or traditional pig-killing, and preparation of the meal. Those who wish to participate may do so, or you may help bake pastries, clean and decorate the local community hall, or other tasks.

9/27  Saturday — Okland         THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL DAY 1
The day begins with breakfast with host families, and then a traditional Unitarian church service.  Oklánd’s church is famous for its beauty, included the elaborately painted ceiling tiles.  Communion will be served in the metalwork chalices, just as it has been since the 16th century.  All who wish to receive communion may do so. 

After the church service the community will gather for a festive meal, local wines and palinka (fruit brandy).  Later in the evening there is a “ball” or traditional village dance.  We can learn the ancient and fast-paced dance called the csardas, which is believed to have its roots in the pre-Christian tribal dances. Though some of us may fade earlier, the party will last until the wee morning hours.

9/28  Sunday—Okland           THANKSGIVING DAY 2
In the late morning a church service honors those who have been married for fifty years. Afterwards the village gathers for a casual picnic.  Later in the afternoon we will visit the Harvest Hope Dairy Barn and learn about the history of sustainable agricultural efforts in the region.

9/29 Monday — Departure from villages 
First stop is the town of Udvárhely (Odorhueisc).  We will meet with the staff of our partnering NGO, Civitas Foundation, to learn about programs for local development assistance and the restoration of civil society.   After lunch we will visit the village of Korond, famous for traditional pottery.  Then on to the lovely Saxon fortress city of Segesvár (Sigishoara), a World Heritage site.

9/30  Tuesday — Morning departure from Segesvár. We hope to visit an agricultural cooperative along the way, and enjoy some beautiful scenery as we head to the historic city of Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca).

10/1 Wednesday—Kolozsvár.  This was a historic Hungarian and Unitarian city long renowned for its theological school and its cuisine, and under Communism was resettled with Romanians, leading to some tension between the two groups. We will enjoy the hospitality of local restaurant owners who still offer the traditional meals as well as newer cuisines. We’ll explore the Reformation-era roots of our hosts, including visits to the oldest Unitarian congregation in the world, the church headquarters and the 451 year-old Unitarian high school. Of particular interest is a visit with Rev. Lehel Molnar, church archivist, who will show us documents dating from the 16th century. 

10/2 Thursday — Day trip to Torockó and Torockószentgyörgy.  These remote villages, nestled in the slopes of Sleeping Giant Mountain, are renowned for their unusually decorative folk art. We’ll have a quiet evening in Kolozsvár, with time to prepare for the day-long drive to Budapest.

10/3 Friday — Travel Day.  Early morning departure for Budapest, Hungary, by way of the Puszta Region.  This is the Great Hungarian Plain, where local communities raise many old breeds of cattle and pigs.

10/4 Saturday—Budapest. We’ll use our last day of pilgrimage to learn a bit more about the culture in which we have been immersed, and enjoy the ancient and modern gifts of this gracious city. We’ll see the well-regarded Museum of Ethnography, and the central marketplace.  We will also visit the truly sobering Museum of the Secret Police, called the Terror Haza. This well-curated museum documents the painful eras of the Nazi and Communist regimes.  We’ll close our pilgrimage with a festive final dinner, celebrating our travels together and honoring all that we have shared.

10/5 Sun— Flights home or optional post-trips listed below.

Pricing

The pilgrimage fee of $2475 covers almost all costs from the Pilgrimage Opening Session on September 23 in Bucharest through the dinner and overnight accommodations in Budapest on October 4.  (The only exceptions are a few meals on your own.) This includes all accommodations, host family stays with translators, all other meals, bus travel, gratuities, admission fees and other costs as incurred during pilgrimage activities. The first deposit is due with your application no later than May 1, and final payment is due no later than June 15.  If we do not receive your payment by the deadline your place may be given to someone from the waiting list.

Optional Post-Trips

 Option 1: Budapest to Danube Bend  10/5
This one day excursion will take us through northern Hungary to the strategic fortress of Visegrád, the medieval seat of the Hungarian monarchy.  Perched high on the banks of the Danube River, the castle was first built in 1009. Along the way we will stop in the artist’s community of Szentendre and visit the museum honoring Margít Kovács, Hungary’s most distinguished ceramic artist.  We’ll stop as well in the historic village of Esztergóm, linked by bridge to Slovakia and site of the coronation of the first King of Hungary, Saint Stephen. We’ll return to Budapest in the evening.

Option 2: Prague 10/6 to 10/8
For over 1100 years Prague has been the central city of Bohemia and the Czech nation.  Nicknamed “the Golden City” and “the mother of cities,” it is one of Europe’s most visited sites.  Prague’s history connects with the Unitarians through the martyrdom of the early Protestant Jan Huss, and the Rev. Norbert Çapek, creator of the Flower Communion and founder of the Unitarian Church of Prague. Çapek was a leader in the Czech resistance to the Nazis and died in a concentration camp.  We’ll visit his church in addition to enjoying the architecture and culture of this renowned city.

Note: You may spend Sunday, Oct. 5 in Budapest and then join us for the Prague Post-Trip.

For more information about these post-trips please contact the Trip Leader, Cecilia Kingman Miller, at CkingmanM@aol.com or 503-231-6374.

Air Travel Arrangements

We request that you arrange your own air travel. You will need to arrive in Bucharest, Romania by the evening of September 23 and the trip concludes the morning of October 5, in Budapest, Hungary. (Those traveling on to Prague should plan to fly home on October 9.) United Airlines and its partner, Lufthansa, provide excellent service to Eastern Europe, as do other airlines. If you would like a room for Sept. 22, please note that on your application.

Once you receive notification that you are accepted onto the trip it is a good idea to purchase your tickets, as it can be difficult to get the best fares.  Note: Do not purchase your tickets until the Trip Leader has given you an Acceptance Notification.  Also, we highly recommend that you purchase trip insurance in the event that you need to cancel your plans for any reason.  See our Pilgrimage Policies below for other restrictions and exclusions.

Orientation Sessions

There will be two orientation sessions held in the Seattle-Portland area in August and September.  If there is a significant cluster of pilgrims traveling from other metropolitan areas in the U.S., we will try to arrange an orientation session in that area as well.  If you are within reasonable distance of an orientation session, we expect you to make every effort to attend.

Pilgrimage Policies and Restrictions:

• Physical limitations, medical needs and restrictions, dietary restrictions and other special needs must be disclosed on the pilgrimage application. 
• A $350 deposit per pilgrim is due at the time of application.  This deposit is non-refundable except in a case where the application is not accepted by PHH.
• PHH Trip Leaders retain the right to decline any application for any reason.
• The pilgrimage fee is determined by the Pilgrimage Coordinator and is based on double occupancy.  Requests for single occupancy may be accommodated for an additional fee.
• Project Harvest Hope provides packaged pilgrimages.  PHH cannot modify the final itinerary to accommodate individual needs and preferences.
• It is the pilgrim’s responsibility to obtain health and trip (trip cancellation) insurance.
• Up to sixty five (65) days before departure, a 90% refund of the pilgrimage fee may be available at the discretion of the Pilgrimage Coordinator.  This does not include the non-refundable deposit.

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