Articles by Initial Letters

Introduction to Love – Printed here are excerpts from a book on peasant morals and social rules. It tells about the strict and specific courtship customs in theTransylvanian village of Szék. It includes description of the series of events around the village spinning parties for the youth, flirting customs during the spinning parties, then meeting outside, walking a girl home and the rules for a young man visiting a girl at home. When young people were betrothed, they bid farewell to their friends at the spinning party. There is also discussion of, under what circumstances a girl may ’sleep with’ a boy before marriage. According to this writing the customs around this vary from place to place (village to village, region to region of Transylvania). The whole period of courtship before marriage and a girl’s behavior during that time is a very delicate matter for a girl. From a book by ethnographer Nagy Olga: A törvény szorításában – Paraszti értékrend és magatartásformák – 1989.pp 128-148.