Begovácz Rózsa – Burján István – Vándor Andrea: Folk Art in Baranya County (Pécs, 2008)
Folk Art in Baranya County - permanent exhibition
headdresses and artistic folkweaves. Catholic Hungarians living in the area sporadicly were differentiated as Geresdhát ethnographical group. Their costume - which included a necklace made of old silver coins - was similar to that of the Sárköz people, although it was less colourful. The area inhabited by a different Catholic ethnographic group with a very spectacular costume is called Kelet-Mecsekalja (Eastern Foot of the Mecsek), which is bordered from the North by the crest of the Mecsek. They were known of their richly decorated women's wear, their valuable folklore was less studied. This population had mostly lived from shepherding and forestry in the past, a significant number of people became miners after the opening of the Mecsek coalmines. To the North from the crest of the Mecsek, the downs reaching as far as the river Kapos called Hegyhát was inhabited by the group called by the same name. Due to their less decorative costume ethnography had long ignored them, although their rich folklore showing many archaic traits should have deserved a more thorough research. Among the customs of the Catholic group, which survived up to the 30s regőzés (a custom at Christmas to drive out darkness and evil), szentjánostűz (St. John's blaze), szentantaltűz (St. Antal's blaze, a healing power was attributed to the fire ) the exchange of the komafa (a custom of making friends), were unique in Baranya. The Völgység ethnographic group lived in the broadening valley expanding to the East, into Tolna county. Besides their Catholic religion, their identity and their marital relations it was mainly their women's costume that distinguished them from the neigbouring groups. The ethnographic group that populated a few villages in the Baranyazug region, lived mixed with Germans. The archaic customs of the neighboring Hegyhát group were mostly unknown to them, they were different both in their costumes and their identity. The Catholic ethnographic group living in 47 villages in Middle-Baranya is distinguished rather by the lack of characteristic traits. They were surrounded by Reformed in the South and in the West, and other ethnical groups from the East. The permanent exhibition called Folk Art in Baranya County shows the material culture and folk art of the above described ethnographic groups characteristic until the end of the 19 t h and the beginning of the 20 t h century. 10
