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English Table of Contents 2024/1
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Memories from a Bukovinan Hungarian woman’s childhood. Mrs Pál Boldizsár Orbán Anna was born in the village of Hadikfalva/Dornești in 1913, a year before WWI broke out - years of hunger and upheaval followed. It was a tough life. She tells about the period until about 1928 when she began attending the village dances. A large number of the Bukovina Hungarians were resettled in Serbia (then southern Hungary) in 1941, then because of WWII they had to flee several more times before finding more permanent homes in Hungary. As told to and documented by Szávai József in the mid 1980s in the Hungarian town of Dombóvár.
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Announcement for All Hungarians Dance/Minden Magyarok Tánca – a performance featuring selected dance material and choreography to be held in Budapest within the framework of the 2024 National Dance House Festival on Sunday April 7. Participation in the event is open to Hungarians who are folk dancers living in the diaspora, bringing them together in one performance. This year’s material will be dances of the Transylvanian town of Szék. Leaders, choreographers this year are Kádár Ignác and Nagypál Anett. Participants must register by e-mail before March 31, 2024. Dance material and details of the performance will be posted a few weeks before the event. The event is sponsored by the Táncház Association, the Élő Forrás Tradition Preserving Association and Hunyor Folk High School Association. Announcement by Kovács Norbert Cimbi, Berán István.
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In Memoriam: Kovács András Ferenc (1959 Szatmárnémeti/Satu Mare – 2023 Dec. 30 Marosvásárhely/Targu Mures) – a Transylvanian Hungarian poet, essayist, translator who published from 1977 on. He was buried in Marosvásárhely on January 4th. Sebő Ferenc met Kovács in 2008, explored his musical world and went on to collaborate with him on a Transylvanian recording released in 2018. Included here are five selections of poetry from that CD. By Sebő Ferenc. Also reprinted here are death announcements from MTI and székelyhon.ro
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New Publication: Varga Sándor: [Changes in the traditional dance culture of a village in Transylvania’s Mezőség Region]. Hagyományok Háza, Krizsa János Néprajzi Tarsaság. Kolozsvár, Romania. 2023 ISBN: 978-606-9015-36-0. Traditional dance reseacher/ethno-choreologist Varga Sándor began work towards this book in the early 1990s and it became the theme of his doctoral dissertation. The book brings a full picture of the dance culture of the village of Visa/Vișea in Transylvania’s Mezőség region. Printed here is Varga’s introduction to the book.
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Description of a carnival custom that occurs in the village of Moha in Hungary’s Fejér County. Locally the custom is known as "tikverőzés" which can very roughly be translated as "chicken beating” – a custom that was originally part of the circle of wedding traditions. Over time the tradition transformed in this village and became part of the carnival custom involving a group of local men and boys who go around the village in maskarade humorously 'frightening' the other residents. This account describes origins and changes in this custom. Also discussed here is the fact that this custom is now on the list of national intellectual treasures and how the added attention has changed the event. The village now consciously preserves the event by maintaining local leadership and organization. By Nagy Veronika; photos by Dénes Zoltán.
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Interview with Transylvanian Hungarian writer, journalist Simó Márton upon his 60th birthday and recent publication of his book "A boldogabb ember” [A Happier Man] – Part I. Many aspects of Simó’s life, the path of his career and the reality of being a writer in Transylvania come to light. He was born in 1963 in the southern Transylvanian mining community of Urikány/Uricani – a town with a Romanian majority. He learned Romanian there and makes a point of saying that his language knowledge has been an asset throughout his life. His parents moved back to their native Székelyföld when he was 10. He attended university in Hungary and lived in Budapest for 15 years before returning to Transylvania where he lives with his family in Székelyudvárhely/Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania. At times it has bothered him that his Hungarian writing world is limited:… "small market, small money". He is always obliged to have some kind of steady employment in order to make ends meet. Interview by Transylvanian writer/journalist Bölöni Domokos.
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Announcement for a soldier’s folk song competition – the competition is named after singer Balogh Márton (1946–2010) folk singer-solisist with the Honvéd Ensemble known for his characteristic voice quality and the old soldier and hussar songs he sung. Any Hungarian man or boy over the age of 14 may enter the competition and must sing at least one of Balogh Márton’s tunes. Following regional competitions, the final national competiton juried by professionals in the field and a gala program will be held in October 2024 at the Honvéd Cultural Center in Budapest. The competition is sponsored by Vitézi Ének Foundation and the Traditional Hungarian Hussar and Soldier’s Association.
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Interview with photographer Mohos Zsófia. Zsófia has published two books of her photos. She describes her work that has concentrated on the people and traditional life of two villages: Rimóc (Palóc region, Hungary) and Kupuszina (Voivodina, Serbia). She has taken the time to seek out and befriend elderly residents in these villages to get to a deeper level with her photographs. She has been inspired by the work of Hungarian photographer Korniss Péter, who has become her mentor and curated an exhibition of her work in Budapest at Kolta Gallery in Budapest (which opened on February 8th). Interview by Grozdits Károly
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Traditional Hungarian dances of Visk/Vyshkovo – a town in the Khust region of western Ukraine near the Hungarian border. Historically an ethnically mixed region, 20 years ago about half of the population there claimed ethnic Hungarian origin. The town is located in the historic Northern Maramures region, on the banks of the Tisza/Tysa river. This brief study is based on notes from previous field work and interviews. Until recently the Hungarian dances of Transcarpathia had largely been overlooked by Hungary’s dance house movement. Now there has been slight interest and some choreographies have appeared. According to folk dance researcher Martin György the Hungarian dances of this area belong to the so-called Upper Tisza region and dance dialect. This study looks at local aspects of the csárdás couple dance and mentions the stamping style footwork. By Módos Máté.
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Musician Kerényi Robi has been an important figure in Budapest’s Gyimes and Moldavian dance house life since the late 1980s. In December 2023 Robi’s 60th birthday was celebrated at Budapest’s Marczibányi tér’s Guzsalyas dance house. Many friends and musicians came out to help celebrate. Printed here is the speech given by his long-time friend, colleague and co-founding member of Tatros Band and Guzsalyas dance house, Sándor Ildikó.
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Two short stories by Kincs István 1867–1942, priest, journalist, children’s writer: lived in Western Hungary. Sometime in the 1860s there was colony of Hungarian hussars stationed in the Czech city of Pardubitz/ Pardubice. The hussars were sad and homesick and continuously escaping from the barracks. It was decided that the cure would be to send them a band of Gypsy musicians from Hungary to lift their spirits. The second story is about Gypsies of the village of Nagyabony/Veľké Blahovo (today in southwestern Slovakia near the Hungarian border). The vajda of the Nagyabony Gypsies was a musician. When their favorite person Kossuth Lajos left Hungary, the Gypsy vajda decided they should leave too. As they prepared to leave, a letter arrived for the Gypsy vajda. They couldn’t read but assumed it was a letter from Kossuth calling them to go play for him in exile. When they found out it was only a letter calling them to Pardubitz to play for the Hungarian hussars stationed there – they decided not to go.
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New publication: Szokolszky Ágnes: [The life and family history of Déki Lakatos Sándor] Személyes Történelem, Budapest 2023, ISBN 9786156439277. An oral history told personally by violinist Déki Lakatos Sándor (born Budapest 1945). It takes the reader into the life of a Gypsy musician and member of a famous musician family dynasty. According to Déki Lakatos, a successful Gypsy musician needs: "…extraordinary instrumental knowledge, large repertoir, excellent memory, high level of artistic and performing talent, musical intelligence, human intelligence, insight into human nature and outstanding leadership, negociation and language skills..." Recommendation by Dr. Hajnáczky Tamás.
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Traditional foods: flat breads in the Hungarian peasant kitchen. Starting with a glance at flat breads in international food traditions, the writer then hones-in on the history of flat breads in Hungarian eating culture, making the distinction between unleavened flat breads and flat breads made with leavening. [A basic understanding here is that today Hungary is a nation dedicated to the raised loaf of bread.S.F.] A brief survey of remnants of variations on flat breads still in existing in Hungarian culinary tradition is followed up with selected recipes: Cornmeal flatcakes baked on cabbage leaves, Buzsák baked paprika flat bread, Kisbajom miller’s wafer, Szatmárcseke paska (or matza type) cracker, Palóc potato flat bread. By ethnographer Juhász Katalin.
By Sue Foy
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English Table of Contents 2024/2
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New Publication – a privately released volume on the life and work of Hungarian ethnographer and folk dance researcher Pesovár Ernő (1926–2008). Edited by Felföldi László, with Szőkené Károlyi Annamária, Pesovárné Jámbor Márta, Pesovár Zsófia, Horváth János. An interview with Pesovár Ernő conducted in May of 1995 forms the main body of this volume. The interviewer was Pálfy Gyula of the Folk Dance Research Department of the Hungarian Institute of Musicology. Also includes nearly 50 pages of photographs and an explanatory section for people and places mentioned in the interview. Pesovár Ernő’s work focused mainly on Western Hungary. Published by the Western Hungary Folk Dance Association, Körmend, Hungary 2023.
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Grecsó Krisztián: This article discusses the 50 year old adult level solo folk dance competition held every two years in the town of Békescsaba in Eastern Hungary and its YouTube channel (Országos Szólótáncfesztivál) which has current as well as archive video footage of competitors at this festival over the years. The author recommends specific videos of three dancers: Balogh Béla, Gál László, Kökény Richárd. While not the main point of the article, he makes an observation on the method used for documenting the dancers in the competition: „At first I thought that the fixed camera position would be disturbing, but upon comparison with examples from the recent televised Páva folk competition where the camera flies like a peacock, dips and turns, shows the background lighting…..[I realized] we see everything BUT what the dancer is really doing…” First published in Élet és Irodalom 2024 February 16.
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In memory of folk musician Éri Péter (1953–2023) on his participation in ethnographic field work as a boy with his mother Borbély Jolán and step-father Martin György. Éri Péter had the enviable good luck to grow up amidst an extraordinary group of folk dance researchers and ethnographers during an exciting period of Hungarian folk dance research (1950s, 1960s). From a young age he assisted on trips documenting traditional dance for example in a Gypsy community in Óbuda (Budapest), the Transylvanian village of Méra (in 1963 and 1966) and to Tardoskedd/Tvrdošovce and Kéménd/Kamenín in Slovakia’s Nitra region. This writing is based on audio recordings of interviews with Éri Péter and Borbély Jolán and notes from those collection trips found in the archives. By Maruzsenszki Andor distance learning student in Ethnography, Szeged University.
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Applauding the work of folk singer, story teller Fabián Éva upon becoming a member of the Hungarian Academy of the Arts on March 11, 2024. Éva is from a Bukovina Hungarian Székely family. Born in 1954 in the village of Györe in Hungary’s Tolna County, early on she became known for her singing voice, humor and personality. Her Bukovina heritage was a foundation for her work. She is a pre-school teacher, sang with both Kalamajka and Egyszólam ensembles and continues teaching and mentoring. Her folk tales have entertained generations of children at schools, children’s dance houses, folk camps. By folk musician, colleague and friend Juhász Zoltán.
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Interview with Transylvanian Hungarian writer, journalist Simó Márton upon his 60th birthday and recent publication of his book „A boldogabb ember” [A Happier Man] – Part II. The interview ends with these comments: „…I thought in December 1989 that we were on the way to a good democratic life, a better life….who would have thought that Pan European thought was so empty…that Americanization was so unhealthy?...here we are at the doorstep of so many different poles of world order – and at the edge of another clash thereof. I would like to understand the present. I hope for the soonest and most humane future that humans deserve...”
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Music reviews: 2023 Hungarian world and folk recordings – „…fewer recordings were released in 2023 than previous years, largely due to the rapidly changing music industry and technology. Many Hungarian record labels are at a standstill with the exception of the Fonó who nowadays don’t release everything on CD…” Recordings released in 2023 and reviewed here are: Cserepes Remix (Fonó), Kobza Vajk (private release), Korpás Évi (Fonó), Lovász Irén (Siren Voices), Magos együttes (Fonó), Makám (Z. Paraván), Napfonat (Fonó), Paár Julcsi (Fonó), Salamon Soma (Fonó), Takáts Eszter/Molnár Zoltán (private release), Tímár Sára (Fonó). By Rácz Mihály at langolo.hu.
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Exhibition: Hungarian Museum of Ethnography – Budapest – Winter Erzsébet’s photos from the Transylvanian village of Inaktelke/Inucu 2000–2002. The newly opened ’ongoing’ exhibition shows daily life in a Kalotaszeg village that is otherwise well-known for its traditional dance culture. Announcement by exhibition curators Danó Orsolya, Fülöp Hajnalka.
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Reconstructing the traditional men’s costume of Voivodina’s Tisza River region for use in folk dance stage performance. This is a description of the process of researching and reconstructing this costume. The area concerned is in northern Serbia where there is ethnic Hungarian population around the towns of: Magyarkanizsa/Kanjiža, Zenta/Senta, Óbecse/Bečej. The author addresses costume seperately for the turn of the 19th to 20th century; after WWI; accessories and facial hair habits. Informants’ descriptions are used. Includes photos and list of sources and literature. By Resócki Rolland.
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Halmos Béla Program Day – a full day of events held at the Hungarian Heritage House in Budapest at the end of January 2024. The Halmos Béla Program supports folk and world music culture in Hungary and the Carpathian Basin. The event showcased projects that have received support from the HB program. It began with a series of children’s events, continued with lectures, a documentary film screening and concerts. Mentioned seperately here is a project supported by the Halmos Béla Program: a photo exhibit commemorating folk dancer, choreographer and teacher Foltin Jolán (1943–2019). Next location for this travelling exhibition will be in Budapest at the National Dance House Festival 2024 April 6th, 7th. By Tari Dorottya project coordinator for the Halmos Béla Program.
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Continued from folkMAGazin 2024/1 – Two more chapters from an old tale of Gypsy musicians from Nagyabony/Veľké Blahovo (today’s Slovakia) and a colony of Hungarian Hussars in the Czech town of Pardubitz/Pardubice. It took two more letters to convince the Gypsy musicians to go to Pardubitz to cheer up the homesick Hungarian Hussar regiment. When the band of Gypsies arrived the Hussars shed tears of happiness and even their horses were dancing in celebration. However Pardubitz already had a brass band that served the town’s musical needs. A stand-off between the Gypsy musicians and the brass band occured during an event. The Gypsy musicians won-over the crowd and the city began to truely accept them. However, just as they were hired to play at the city’s best coffee house – the Gypsy musicians suddenly went back to their home village of Nagyabony. By Kincs István (1867–1942) priest, journalist, children’s writer: lived in Western Hungary.
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List of people from dance house circles that received national honors and awards at the March 15th holiday.
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Food and tradition – 15th, 16th century Ottoman Turkish cuisine. The author refers mainly to writings on the subject by Professor Arif Bilgin. The focus is on food in the Topkapi Palace in the given period and includes descriptions of eating customs and types of dishes. Period Turkish meals included breads, soups, pilafs and meat dishes. Recipes offered: cheese filled filo dough ’cigars’, joghurt soup with tarragon, chickpea-lentil soup, a farina-cheese desert, ’Noah’s pudding’. By ethnographer Juhász Katalin.
By Sue Foy
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English Table of Contents 2024/3
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Both Miklós, director of Budapest’s Hungarian Heritage House talks about their project – an online folk music education tool: Folk¬_ME – and it’s achievements in Hungary and abroad. After more than eight years of development the website folk-me.com has recently become available to the general public. They hope that those in other countries with an approach to folk music similar to Hungary’s will be able to use this kind of online folk music learning tool. Interview by Grozdits Károly.
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Roles, tasks and possibilities for the Hungarian Heritage House [HHH] in Hungary’s folk dance movements. As part of HHH’s professional renewal program, director Both Miklós invited folk dance researcher Varga Sándor, PhD to do this study. HHH publishes it here in hopes that the ideas and insights therein will also inspire those in the wider public sphere of Hungary’s folk dance movements. An academic, Varga Sándor provides footnotes and sources, and lists more than 40 people whose opinions he sought out – towards this constructive study. Dealing seprately with the dance house and with folk dance for the stage, he identifies problems and makes recommendations for projects and action. Among the many points he makes, Varga writes that "the majority of Hungary’s folk dance groups, folk dancers and folk musicians are city people who practice their folk culture in the city"; he names a community association in the village of Kiscsősz in Western Hungary as example of a positive effort in the countryside. On several occasions he encourages social discussion, open thought, communication, open exchange of ideas and developing the area of folk dance criticism towards identification of further directions for Hungary’s folk dance and folk music movements. He names HHH as an ideal place to organize new initiatives. By Varga Sándor.
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Folk dance researcher, ethnographer Felföldi László writes on Hungarian organizations dedicated to preserving traditions and how Muharay Elemér’s ideas on preserving folk tradition can still offer guidance today. Included is a short summary of the professional life of Muharay (1901–1960). Felföldi draws particular attention to the lasting relevance of Muharay’s writings in the 1942 publication "KALOT".
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„Kerekerdő” is a story and music recording for children. The record is by singer, music therapist Paár Julcsi who develops folk material for performances meant to entertain small children with their parents. Here, a preschool teacher and master’s student in ’children’s culture’ takes a closer look at what it is about Paár’s record that makes it so popular with her preschool groups. By Szegedi Izabella Tímea.
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Ancient themes used in Hungarian folk dance choreography – Kricskovics Antal, Novák Ferenc, Mucsi János. This research paper explores how themes from ancient mythology have been used by Hungarian folk dance choreographers. The main body of the paper offers a closer look at four specific choreographies: Kricskovics’ "Iphigeneia"; Kricskovics’ "Páris almája" [Paris’ Dream]; Novák’s "Magyar Elektra"; Mucsi’s "Danaidák" [The Danaides]; all from more than 30 years ago. The author worked from DVD and/or VHS documentation and reviews found in the Dance Archive of the National Museum and Institute of (Hungarian) Theatre History. By Hudák Dóra.
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Review of a recording from 1996 on the ’A Bt’ label: Ökrös Ensemble’s "Kalotaszegi mulató énekek” – the blues at dawn. This review was done fulfulling an assignment for a course on ’knowledge of repertoire’ taught by Árendás Péter at the Liszt Academy of Music’s Department of Folk Music. After commentary on making a recording nowadays as compared with ’back then’ in 1996, the author emphasizes the point that this recording was NOT made for listening on the go via the various mobile technologies (he tried that first). One should take time out from ’hurried modern life’ to sit and have a proper listen. He asks the question: "IS a record this slow-moving, where ’hardly anything happens’ – necessary in this day and age?" Answering his own question: "Most definitely!" Rather than offering a more scientific analysis on how a certain melody is ornamented, what chords and keys are used in accompaniment and so on – this young musician offers his own emotional reactions to an extraordinary recording. By Szilágyi Szabolcs – viola player with Sarjú Banda.
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Recent publication: Hungarian Translation of Narine Abgarjan’s novel: "Szimon" – translation by Goretity József. Typotex kiadó. Budpest. 2023. Szimon the old bricklayer of an Armenian mountain village dies. He is respected, but notoriously fickle. Four of his former lovers arrive to the funeral. After some embarrassment lifts, their memories of Szimon come alive. It soon becomes clear that the man wasn’t much more than an episode at difficult moments in each of their lives in the village.
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Food and tradition – 15th, 16th century Ottoman Turkish cuisine. Part II. Desserts. Turkish culinary historian Arif Bilgin has been the main source for this article. Described here are puddings and sweet porridges both cooked and baked, often made from rice – or from farina, cracked wheat, etc – adding sugar or honey, dried fruits and nuts, spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and so on. Recipes provided are: cracked wheat with cheese, „Asure” or Noah’s pudding, baked rice pudding, lokum, a sweet made with carrots, a simple farina pastry, baklava. It concludes with recipes for sherberts, ayran and Turkish coffee. By ethnographer Juhász Katalin.
By Sue Foy
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English Table of Contents 2024/4
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Novák Ferenc "Tata" 1931–2024 August 17. Excerpts from the family’s announcement: "Novák Ferenc Tata passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 94….His exceptionally rich, vehement and productive life was full and intellectually active into his last months: this year in April he gave a lecture on dance history to several hundred people at the National Dance House Festival….Hungarian culture and Hungary itself is indebted to him. He loved his country deeply, but not without criticism - he worried immensely about the fate of his country in recent years…Over his long career he acquainted so many generations here at home and abroad with the European values of our national culture. He founded the now 70 year old Bihari Ensemble and led the Honvéd Dance Theatre for three decades*…His unmatched life-work, experience, knowledge and adventurous life story lives on not only in his works but in his friends, students, family, children and grandchildren. We celebrate his life!" [*Translator’s note: In these circles Novák is as well-known as a choreographer and for his large scale dance, music and theatrical projects, as he is also for his early trips (1960s) to the Transylvanian village of Szék where he did ethnographic and folk dance collection work that became the inspiration for the dance house movement. S.F.]
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List of national awards recieved by folks from dance house circles on Hungary’s August 20th national holiday.
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Roles, tasks and possibilities for the Hungarian Heritage House [HHH] in Hungary’s folk dance movements – Part II. As part of HHH’s professional renewal program, director Both Miklós invited folk dance researcher Varga Sándor, PhD to do this study. HHH publishes it here in hopes that the ideas and insights therein will also inspire those in the wider public sphere of Hungary’s folk dance movements. An academic, Varga Sándor provides footnotes and sources, and lists more than 40 people whose opinions he sought out – towards this constructive study. Dealing seprately with the dance house and with folk dance for the stage, he identifies problems and makes recommendations for projects and action. Among the many points he makes, Varga writes that "the majority of Hungary’s folk dance groups, folk dancers and folk musicians are city people who practice their folk culture in the city"; he names a community association in the village of Kiscsősz in Western Hungary as example of a positive effort in the countryside. On several occasions he encourages social discussion, open thought, communication, open exchange of ideas and developing the area of folk dance criticism towards identification of further directions for Hungary’s folk dance and folk music movements. He names HHH as an ideal place to organize new initiatives. By Varga Sándor.
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Recent publication: Hungarian Translation of Narine Abgarjan’s novel: "Simon" translation by Goretity József. Typotex kiadó. Budpest. 2023. – Part II. Simon the old bricklayer of an Armenian mountain village dies. He is respected, but notoriously fickle. Four of his former lovers arrive to the funeral. After some embarrassment lifts, their memories of Simon come alive. It soon becomes clear that the man wasn’t much more than an episode at difficult moments in each of their lives in the village.
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Kóka Rozália’s series: Moldavian Csángó Hungarian tales. Her first trip to Moldavia to collect ethnographic material was in 1969. After that she went every year to do field work, but in 1995 she went to Moldavia to collect tales for the first time. In the village of Pusztina/Pustiana she collected tales from two woman: Barta Mihályné and László Istvánné. She published the tales collected in her 2019 book: "Aranytojás". This series presents the tales from her book.
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Report on dance collection fieldwork done in May 2024 amongst the Roma community in the town of Enying, in Hungary’s Fejér County. The report begins by describing previous research done in the area with listing of where it can be found in the archives. The present fieldwork was led by folk dance researchers from Budapest’s Hungarian Heritage House who first made a preliminary trip in April 2024 to establish contacts and lay the groundwork for the actual collection event. In May the collection team consisted of one person taking still photos, one taking notes, one who did audio recordings and one person for video documention. Couple, solo and group dancing were documented of nine women, four men, and four child informants. Their dancing was accompanied by guitar, water jug, spoons, singing, and recorded music. Report by Módos Máté.
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Interview with historian Hangodi László on the role of brothels in the Western Hungarian town of Tapolca in the first half of the 20th century. Discussed at some length is the phenomenon of the brothel as the place where boys (the age of 17 is mentioned) acquired their first sexual experience. Prices for services, clientele, locations, management, region served - are also covered. Interview by Grozdits Károly
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Tata has gone – Here are personal memories of working closely with Novák Ferenc from 1973 on. As music director for the Honvéd Ensemble for years, musician and composer Kiss Feri got to know many sides of Novák’s genius and temperament. "God be with you Tata. You will be dearly missed!" By Kiss Ferenc.
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Novák Ferenc Tata’s Letter to leaders of the Hungarian Alliance of Dancers. This letter addresses the issue of dwindling support for independent contemporary dance troupes in Hungary. Tata urges: "Do not accept a situation wherein the work of talented artists who think differently cannot appear on stage! I simply don’t believe that art can develop [in a vacume] - without something to compare with." Tata cites previous choreographic work of Györgyfalvi, Foltin, Szigeti, Timár, Kricskovics and Galambos. He also urges the Hungarian Academy of Dance to strengthen its curriculum in general artistic knowledge and foreign languages. Budapest. July 4, 2024
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Novák Ferenc Tata Has Died "…the public Novák Tata never spared himself, or his environment…He believed that if folk dance is put on stage then it must change the world - from the begining he insisted that it wouldn’t work without a message …I saw him as a European citizen…with colleagues from Slovakia or Romania he considered this region to be OUR Carpathian basin….He was an ethnographer, did field collection work; he was the analytical type, he formed opinions, he moved people to action, he was a dancer and a contemporary - and perhaps even the best choreographer til now." Excerpts from the obituary by Grecsó Krisztián. First published in "Élet és Irodalom" 34. 2024 Aug 23.
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Székely traditions – Part 1. The inspiration for this college diploma project towards a degree in the department of education, sociology, and Rom language at the Apor Catholic College in Hungary has been this student’s desire to explore her own Székely heritage. In this section of the paper we read about: Székelyföld’s location within Transylvania and Romania; Székelyföld as an ethnographic region; who the Székely people are (…Hungarian speaking Hungarians who are not willing to deny their Hungarianness…whose main lifestyles are traditional alpine animal husbandry, forestry, farming); and about traditional Székely celebrations of the fall season. To be continued. Includes bibliography, list of sources. By Simó Ilona 2024.
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Photographer Kása Béla – Exhibition: 40 years of Legendary Transylvanian Musicians - 2024 August at Budapest’s Kobuci Kert in Óbuda. This is an interview done at the opening of the exhibiton. Kása Béla talks about travelling to Transylvania to photograph since 1973. This exhibition presented mainly photos of 3 generations of the famous Kodoba family dynasty of traditional Roma musicians in the village of Magyarpalatka/Pălatca, in Kolozs/Cluj County, Tranyslvania (Romania). Quoted here are the words of Hungarian filmmaker Szomjas György: "Béla’s photographs are not just about the exotic or the poverty, he is capable of seeing the nobility in this lifestyle…He raises these people and places to a new kind of aesthetic". Interview by Nagy Krisztián - first published in "Papageno" 2024 July 30.
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Hungarian food and tradition: Ottoman Turkish influences in Hungarian cuisine. This article is based mainly on the research and writings of Bartha Judit from ["The Turkish heritage. Common ground in Turkish and Hungarian eating habits"] published by European Folklore Institute. Budapest, 2017. During the Turkish occupation [1541-1699] some 50 to 80 thousand Turks (from various regions of the vast multicultural Ottoman empire) lived in Hungarian territory and left their mark on Hungarian cuisine. Peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and corn came to Hungary via the Turks, as did the sour cherry and apricot. The Turks brought the use of parsely, caraway, anise and horseradish as well as dishes like stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage, strudel and also sweets made from fruit including ’pekmez’ (a molasses-like syrup made from boiling down fruit). Hungary’s coffee drinking culture also arrived with the Turks. Recipes included here: eggplant cream (vinete), 2 versions of stuffed cabbage, Turkish delight with almonds. By ethnographer Juhász Katalin.
By Sue Foy
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English Table of Contents 2024/5
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Székely Traditions – Part 2. The inspiration for this college diploma project towards a degree in the department of education, sociology, and Rom language at the Apor Catholic College in Hungary – has been this student’s desire to explore her own Székely heritage. This section of the paper continues a kind of survey of Székely folk traditions. We read about customs of the late fall and winter seasons: the "fonó" – parties where the village youth once gathered to do their spinning or other handwork, November 25th Katalin name day, November 30th András name day, December 6th Miklós name day, December 13th Luca name day, December 21st Tamás name day, the Advent period, and pig slaughtering (traditionally done between András day and end of carnival). Includes bibliography, list of sources. By Simó Ilona 2024.
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Interview with Sikentáncz Szilveszter – President of the Heritage Association of Hungarian Children’s and Youth Folk Dance Groups. This association organizes a wide variety of programs, conferences, courses, festivals and talent competitions that successfully support the work, quality and community of Hungarian folk dance groups for children and young people all over Hungary. Recently Sikentáncz has also been communicating with the Ministry of Education in an effort to reverse a ruling that says folk dance classes in Hungarian elementary schools no longer satisfy physical education requirements. On another matter, he voices his opinion that presently Hungary’s adult folk dance movement seems to be floundering without appropriate leadership to pull it together. He urges more cooperation and communication between organizing associations. He celebrates the generation of Hungarian children and young people now coming up, who in 20–25 years will be the next folk dance movement leaders, choreographers, folk dancers, researchers. Interview by Darabos Eszter.
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How long have they been playing Tambura music in Baja? Baja is a town in Southern Hungary in the Bácska/Bačka Region. This article states that tambura music has been present in the area since the second half of the 18th century. Today the town of Baja is considered the center of Hungarian tambura music. There is mention of a particularly famous band known as the Petrőczi-Petrovác Band who played tambura music as far back as 1896. The Hungarian musicologist Volly István wrote about the Petrőczi-Petrovác band in the 1960s. Like other bands in the area they played not only Serbian music but also the music of the other ethnic groups of the region. By Barvich Iván.
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Kiss Ferenc (June 27, 1954 – October 15, 2024). Kiss Feri has passed away. Prolific composer, record label founder, publisher, folk music collector, festival organizer, writer, thinker. Father, grandfather, friend; “one of the last Mohicans”. Frequent contributor to folkMAGazin. He was born in Debrecen, finished secondary school in Budapest, then studied Hungarian and ethnography at ELTE University in Budapest. From 1973 on, he worked mainly as a musician, composer, folk music collector; after the political changes of 1990 he founded a record label and publishing company while continued composing and producing his many musical projects. Printed here are ethnomusicologist/bagpipe player Szabó Zoltán’s memories of travelling with Feri to Transcarpathia to do collection work (Feri’s father was from there; he had relatives there) and working and playing music on numerous projects with Kiss Feri. October 16th, 2024.
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Online folk dance instruction at www.tanctar.hu. This article describes and encourages use of this online Hungarian folk dance learning tool [other dance forms are also addressed on the website. S.F.] The developers of this website say, “Naturally we don’t argue the importance of in-person dance instruction… but would like to extend a helping hand to those folk dance teachers who are open and ready for something new, and would like to teach and learn comfortably.” Developed by two numerous award-winning dancers and experienced Hungarian folk dance teachers, choreographers based in Northeastern Hungary: Antal Dóra and Antal Roland. The website is in Hungarian.
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Master of Folk Arts – traditional dancer Fülöp Ferenc (1885–1962). Hungarian Heritage House’s folk dance research group has commissioned Taba Csaba (aka: Benji) to write a book on Fülöp Ferenc – the exceptional traditional dancer from Decs in Hungary’s Sárköz region. The book will be released in 2025. Taba Csaba is well acquainted with the heritage of this traditional dancer – his diploma paper for the Hungarian Academy of Dance’s department of dance education was written on him, he has studied Fülöp’s verbunk and beautiful peasant dancing since 1980 – this material has influenced his own dance life and career. Here Taba Csaba tells about his search for Fülöp Ferenc’s grave and his mission to eventually move Fülöp’s remains to his native town of Decs with a grave site appropriately commemorating this traditional master of folk dance. By Taba Csaba ‘Benji’.
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Celebrating traditional dancer of Hungary’s Kalocsa-Sárköz region: Cselik Mária on her 80th birthday. Mária recieved the title ’Master of Folk Arts’ in 1995. Her beautiful dancing and life story have been well documented and can be found in the national folk dance archives, a book by Tamás László, a documentary film by Sztanó Hédi and numerous interviews and papers. Born into a farming family in Felsőerek, Hungary in 1944, she inherited her love of dance and dance experience from her mother’s family and dancing in the Drágszél Folk Dance Group. Before retirement she was a mathematics and physics teacher in an elementary school in Kalocsa. For decades her dancing partner was well-known local traditional dancer Vén Ferenc. Printed here is dance ethnographer Felföldi László’s greeting at her birthday celebration on September 1, 2024 in the town of Kalocsa – further information about Cselik Mária at: www.nepmuveszetmereserei.hu.
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Photography exhibit at Budapest’s Hungarian Heritage House: "Pixel and Folklore – Hungarian folk art and photography in the 21st century". The exhibition will be up until December 18th, 2024. Curated by photo historian Szarka Klára it displays photographs of Hungarian tradition as portrayed by 24 Hungarian photographers – ranging from esteemed masters of Hungarian ethnographic-style photography to a younger generation. Printed here the speech by Transylvanian writer, poet and literary translator Szabó T. Anna that offically opened the exhibition and exhibiting photographer Korniss Péter’s speech from the opening ceremonies. Quotes from Korniss Péter’s speech: "…. I read recently that artifical intelligence generates 43 million pictures every day…a frightening number…so, let’s stick with this exhibition where we see pictures by living-breathing photographers – the kind that are looking for the truth – reality – because they believe in it… photography doesn’t just record (immortalize), it also confronts and helps us to see our own time more clearly…".
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Interview with Kőrösi Csoma Program grant recipients – under this grant program young folk dance educators from Hungary are placed in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA for nine months of service in the Hungarian community there, teaching folk dance in a number of groups, assisting at cultural events and in the work of Hungarian cultural organizations. The New Brunswick Hungarian community in New Jersey has been hosting young Kőrösi Csoma Program grant recipients for years in order to bring new energy directly from Hungary into the Hungarian diaspora. This interview was with educators Balogh Lili and Molnár István Dániel from Budapest’s Angyalföldi Vadrózsa Folk Dance Ensemble (and other groups). They spent the past year in New Jersey under support from this program. Interview by Antal-Ferencz Ildikó – first published in English at: hungarianconservative.com
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Five new exhibits at Budapest’s Museum of Ethnography. The new permanent exhibition opened on October 11th displays 3600 original objects and 1600 photos from the museum’s collections. Then on October 15th a special exhibit on Transylvania’s Székely people opened. Further special exhibitions are: an exhibition on the history of China’s ancient cuisines (opened on October 16th); an ’international exhibition’ addressing questions of world hunger will open on November 15th; and an exhibition celebrating the memory and work of Hungarian zoologist, ethnographer, archaeologist, and politician Herman Ottó (1835–1914) opens on December 13th, 2024. Announcement from the museum.
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Reports with photos on two September concerts in Vienna: Söndörgő: September 7, 2024 at Theater am Spittelberg – Upon recent release and success of their new album "GYEZZ" (with American saxophonist Chris Potter) the band played material from the new recording as well as their well-loved Southern Slav repertoire. Ferenczi György and the 1st Pest Rackas: September 13, 2024 at AchtUngarn Festival – Collegium Hungaricum – this band plays their own very popular mix of Hungarian traditional music and rock. "…Both Söndörgő and the Rackas…bravely treading the risky turf between genres...are capable of moving toward a completely borderless musical approach, and thus may be able to reach different kinds of audiences, while placing the universality our own musical culture in that same context..." – by Henics Tamás.
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Food and Hungarian tradition – old and new roles of traditional wood burning bread baking ovens. An examination of changes in culture around bread baking ovens in the village of Cserépfalu, Borsod County, Hungary. Until the 1960s traditional baking ovens were still in regular use in homes in this village. Since then a variety of social and economic life-style changes caused them to fall out of use and fashion, and people began to forget or never learned how to use wood burning bread baking ovens. For example kitchens there existed with an old bread baking oven, a smaller wood burning stove, a gas stove, and a microwave – all in use. After the political changes of 1990 a renewed interest in peasant foods and lifestyle brought however a shift in use of the old style bread baking oven. Today in Cserépfalu with a population of 1100 there are 11 working bread ovens – some of which were built by Transylvanian oven-building masters, others by their owners. Due to the expense of building a new wood burning oven (about two months wages) and then fueling it, they have become an elite home furnishing for example often connected to barbecue/grill culture of outdoor cooking and presentational hospitality. Includes recipes for: yeasted poppyseed cake, cottage cheese pastry. By Báti Anikó – researcher at the Hungarian Institute of Ethnography.
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By Sue Foy