Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 31-33. (Győr, 1994)

Ács Anna: Borbálázás Horvátkimlén

It is known from the research of Kuret Niko that the female mummery in white veils came from the antic world blended and connected with the figure of St. Lucy. So it does not belong only to a nation or a village. In Horvátkimle "Barbara" was followed by the Mother of Saint Nicolaus on the evening of 7th December and Saint Lucy on the evening of 12th December. Lucy also dressed in white, made the children pray and warned them to good behaviour giving them a present without speech, imitating Lucy's hiccough. The role of the Mother of Saint Nicolaus - in the tradition - was connected with her name-day on 8th December which is the day of the Immaculate Conception. These last two customs were ended by the World War II but the custom of celebration of St. Barbara's day remained till the recent past as the result of Julia Gyergyói's preservative and renewing activities. Anna Ács