A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Ethnographica 5. (Szeged, 2005)

Orbán Imre: Majálisok, májusi szokások a 19. század végi és a 20. század eleji Makón

portok esetében a tavaszvárás, majálisozas, a zöldbe való kirándulás egyre inkább a magánéleti szférába került. Maga a város természetesen a különböző mulatóhelyek kertjeiben rendezett szórakozások széles skáláját nyújtotta a május, június, július hónapokban is. May Day Feasts at the Turn of the Century in Makó by IMRE ORBÁN Using relevant sources present study throws light upon how May Day feasts and traditions were formulating from 1871. The research focuses on a period of forty years considered as the culmination in both the history of the Hungarian State and the city of Makó, seeing definite development. During the studied period May Day feasts and customs were changing continuously, as well as were reinterpreted in different periods. Almost the whole society of Makó took part in May Day celebrations and feasts, following their traditions and customs. We may find as organizers kindergartners, schoolchildren, denominations, workers, craftsmen, male-choirs, gymnastics clubs, guilds and other organizations, as well as private individuals. These programs provided opportunities for celebrating official and public events (such as the coronation anniversary) as well as for private activities (such as courting and entertainment), and also showed definite denominational bounds (such as picnics for Roman Catholic schools). We may reveal how the inhabitants of Makó lived, respecting old traditions (decorating houses, listening to gipsy bands, erecting may poles, moving house, opening beer gardens, as well as having fun and dancing in the open air). It is especially worth noticing how the inhabitants of the city and the farmsteads celebrated. We revealed that the citizens of Makó also joined May Day celebrations in the neighboring villages. Our data proves that in the last three decades of the 19

lh century the significance of May Day feasts organized mainly outdoors was gradually increasing. Their significance culminated at the turn of the century. However, after 1902 the leading social stratum of Makó, the intellectuals, the so-called middle-class, stopped organizing remarkable May Day feasts. This may be explained by the fact, that after 1890, and mainly during the 20

th century the gatherings and processions organized by the workers on May Day became determinative. Besides providing entertainment, May Day celebrations taking place along the bank of the river Maros gained political connotations as well. The workers organized public festivals with a peculiar aim respecting certain choreography. Besides the workers, it was the inhabitants of the farmsteads and the students, who maintained the traditions of public festivals in May. The festivals organized especially for schoolchildren were enriched by the celebration of Children's Day and the Day of Trees and Birds. In case of other social groups, celebrating May Day and other activities expecting the arrival of summer were transferred into the sphere of private life. Although the city itself, as a matter of course, provided a wide range of entertainments in different beer gardens also during May, June and July. 297