Paládi-Kovács Attila: A Barkóság és népe (Miskolc, 2006)

Angol nyelvű összefoglaló

The pastoral holidays of autumn (St. Michael, Dimitri and Wendelin Days) affect only one occupational group. But all classes and strata respect All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day (Fig. 73). On these days many many candles are lighted on the graves as the manifestation of the cult of the dead. 10. The historical and local legends are closely linked to the Barkóság. The oldest group of them maintains the memory of the escape of King Béla IV, of Hungary from the Tartars at the time of the Tartar invasion af the country (in 1241). One special group of historical legends tell about the Bohemian Hussite predatory bands and King Matthias who drove them from the country (15th Century). These people deeply respect the figure of Matthias Corvinus. In the 16th and 17th centuries the people of the Barkóság fought against the conquerors of the Ottoman Empire. At that time they lived in the border zone between the Ottoman Empire and the Hapsburg Empire. Most of their legends from the 18th and 19th centuries no longer deal with national history (there are no legends of Rákóczi or Kossuth) but of the outlaws rising up against the rulers of the land, who were the heroes of the tales and ballads. The most famous of their outlaws (betyars) is Vidróczky The folk beliefs of the region specialize in tales of treasure and spirit of the mine, and dwarf in the mine. The folk belief includes mythical figures which characterize the Barkó ethnic group and the northern Hungarian region. One is Markoláb who ate the moon, while another is Barboncás the Wandering scholar who rode a dragon. The shepherd who turned into a wolf, the miller who chased away the rats with incantation, the chief-shepherd who signed a pact with the devil (bacso) and the coach driver who did the same are all figures of Barkó mythology sung in innumerable tales. We can even find traces of the snake cult in the shape of the „white snake". This snake lies beneath the threshold, drinks milk and must not be killed. The Fiery man and the chicken who brings a treasure to its master (lidérc = 1. demon-lover, 2. nightmare), are also among the figures of Barkó folk beliefs. 11. Bands of gipsy musicians played at the wedding feasts from the latter half of the 19th Century on. These bands had at least four members (first violin, bass fiddle, cimbalom and clarinet). Up to the 1930s the zither was a popular instrument among the peasants (Fig. 75), and among the shepherds there were always one or two bagpipe players. Most shepherds played on some instruments. Playing musical instruments spread among the religious sects from the 1920s on (e.g. women playing the mandolin or guitar in groups). The Barkóság is in the northern Hungarian region which Béla BARTÓK called the No. II. dialect of Hungarian folk music. The old style melodies are popular to this day and are sung with an olden text closely related to the region in content. They often speak of the Mátra and Bükk Mountains, of Vidróczky and other outlaws. The hegemony of the pentatonic scale is shown in that even the new style melodies are sung in the old way. The way in which the singer decorates the basic melody and the frequency of melismas are noteworthy. Along with local ballads and olden style shepherd and outlaw songs, miner and day-labourer songs were also popular. (The day-labourer was an agricultural seasonal worker who travelled the plains seeking work in the summer). The most characteristic dance of the Barkós is the Vasvár verbunk (recruiting dance), performed solo, in pairs and by groups. It used to be danced by four boys. The local variations of the chardash, the dance of the shepherd twirling his stick (Fig. 77), the swineherds' dance, the bottle dance, the broom dance and the various dances by girls not even mentioned here indicate the rich dancing culture of the region.