The founder of modern horseback archery will be the guest of the Sárospatak Cultural Centre on 4 March, organised by the Értékmentők Egyesület (Value Savers Association). It is no coincidence that Lajos Kassai's years of travelling around the country have resulted in continuously sold-out performances anywhere in the country.
Sárospatak: Tradition and Modernity Meet
Sárospatak: Tradition and Modernity Meet
Whether he is talking about horseback archery, which revives ancient Hungarian culture in the modern age, his philosophy distilled from his life experiences, the exemplary Kassai Valley he created on his estate in Kaposmérő, or his professionally structured company, he always provides his listeners with lasting experiences.
One of the most exciting topics in his speeches is a recurring question: tradition or modernity? The answer is always uplifting, and it is worth listening to it in person from the five-time world record holder...
Tickets for the performance can be purchased in person at the reception desk of the House of Culture, or online at amhk.hu is where you can make your purchase.
„It is not the ancestors who should be followed, but what the ancestors followed.”
„It is not the ancestors who should be followed, but what the ancestors followed.”
Lajos Kassai was born on 16 September 1960 in Kaposvár. From the mid-1980s, he worked as a bow maker, reconstructing the Hungarian bow from the time of the Hungarian conquest using modern materials and technologies, and began mass production – the first of its kind in the world.
In 1994, he organised the first official horseback archery competition in Hungary in Kaposmérő, and in 2008, he organised the first Horseback Archery World Championship and International Judges' World Meeting. He won every competition between 1994 and 2019 and set five Guinness World Records. He is the only person in the world who has been able to practise horseback archery for 24 hours without stopping on different horses.
His basic motto: „We should not follow our ancestors, but rather what our ancestors followed.”
“Now that I have reached the midpoint of my life, I have arrived at a sunny clearing.”
“Now that I have reached the midpoint of my life, I have arrived at a sunny clearing.”
The protagonist of the highly successful film The Horse Archer explains his artistic philosophy in the following thoughts on the martial arts he created and practises on his website.
„There are basically two types of people: those who ask questions and those who give answers. Those who ask questions are constantly searching, wanting to experience and learn. Those who give answers say that their religion has already provided all the answers and retreat into rituals that correspond to their beliefs. My life seems to contain both. I wanted to try everything, and I said that only fools want to learn at the expense of others, and that there is nothing more important than personal experience. Knowledge is our only treasure that cannot be taken away from us, and it is also the most aristocratic thing in the world. Now that I have reached the middle of my life, I have arrived at a sunny clearing, leaving behind the tormenting jungle of questions and desires. There is much more acceptance than desire for change in me.
Horseback archery, which once carried me through space and time on a swift horse, has now become more of a ritual for me, providing a framework for my everyday life. For me, it represents science, art and religion all at once. I tried to learn as much as possible about this activity, relying on common sense, and then to present it artistically to the best of my ability, and by the time I got to this point, I realised that it had become my faith.”
