Our club’s flag is indeed new. It has the fresh, bright appearance of being newly crafted by talented artisans. But look again. The elements woven into the rich fabric are old themes. They are the common threads that hold the United German Hungarians together as a community of people; a people who cherish the traditions and values of their homelands and continue to successfully weave the old and the new into their lives today.
The flag not only pays tribute to the club’s forebearers, but it also defines who we are today and how we strive to preserve that heritage for our families here in the United States.
The flag’s contrasting sides are a visual interpretation of the past and the present. The first side is in recognition of those who came before us from the original homelands of central and southeastern Europe. This beautiful depiction of a fictional village captures the common landscapes found in the farming regions of southern Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania and Czechoslovakia. The natural resources, architectural renderings and geographic details evoke the essence of life as it was in the old country. ‘While idyllic in its depiction of family, work and church, it must not be forgotten that great strength, determination and hard work were necessary to preserve their way of life.
The beauty of the region’s common flowers – Kornblumen, Rosmarein, Edelweiss, Mohnblumen and Enzian – complete the embracing circle topped by the flag’s motto. This motto, “Treu, der Sitte, treu der Tracht, treu der Heimat,” is testimony to the beliefs these people carried with them as they resettled their families time and again: faithful to the traditions, faithful to the costume, faithful to the homeland. This philosophy was surely a factor in the organization of the Banater Männerchor, who opened the doors of our first clubhouse in Philadelphia in 1910.
The second side of the flag is an affirmation of the United German Hungarians today. Our current roots are emphasized at the top by the triad of national landmarks to be found nearby and by the inclusion of our state’s founding father. Philadelphia is home to our nation’s Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The significant legacy of William Penn’s “holy experiment” in the new world is a reality to every immigrant in search of freedom.
Our clubhouse today is the place where we come together to meet, to socialize, to work and to play. It is the center point for many facets which comprise the life of our club. It is a place where culture flourishes in the forms of traditional and contemporary German and American dance and music. It is where athletes young and old, male and female, take pleasure in the sport of soccer. It is the place where the various aspects of the old and the new are alive and borne by the members of this club. It is a force for growth, for sharing and for continuing.
As the United German Hungarians approach their 85th year as an organization, we realize the values and ideals purposely stitched into the fabric of the new flag are more than symbols. They are pieces of the thread of the future.
Haidy Krueger Kerber
