S. Lackovits Emőke: Az egyházi esztendő jeles napjai, ünnepi szokásai a bakonyi és Balaton- felvidéki falvakban (Veszprém, 2000)

Festivals, holidays and customs of the ecclesiastical year

urrection. Popular religion had, and still has, a particular regard for them. They were, and are, considered as a blessing, but power to drive out evil was, and is, attributed to them. By using these powers, the individual, as well as the community, with their help attempted, and attempts, to promote the attainment of prosperity. Within the Christmas festival cycle, several holidays are to be found on which the priest, representing the Church, blessed, and blesses on behalf of the community, produce or objects and things associated with man. Such a holiday is the feast of St John the apostle and evangelist on 27 December. Mediaeval Christianity drank in the church in honour of the saints on their festivals, which was a toast originating from a pagan custom. In order to oppose the honouring of pagan gods, the Church proposed the greeting with blessed wine in the name of the saints and the angels. In this way, the toast became the consecration in connection with the day of St John the apostle and evangelist. The basis of this is the legend of the saint, namely the wine miracle in the presence of the pagan high priest Aristodemos, when a poisoned cup was made harmless. The wine consecration on St John's day was mainly a characteristic custom of the wine regions, which with a few exceptions has fallen into disuse. The film was taken in Magyarpolány at the beginning of the 1990s. The wine consecration is performed at morning mass. The wine producers — nowadays only the ladies - each bring a bottle of new wine to the church. These are placed on a table next to the altar. In the mass, the priest blesses the wine, the produce of the vine, which everyone takes home at the end of the mass. As healing and prophylactic powers are attributed to consecrated wine, this is poured into a glass and each member of the family takes a draught from it. Even the children are given a few drops. The remainder is poured into the wine barrels, so that a little gets into every one. In this way, the blessing in the sacrament is preserved, and this is then transferred to those who consume the wine. In the 1930s, the consecrated wine was still used as a medicine in the Balaton Uplands. In fact, some was even taken to the vineyards, which were sprinkled with it in the form of a cross, to preserve them from pests and weather damage. IV Holy Innocents December 28 is Holy Innocents day, which is a festival held since the 5th century in memory of the murdered children of Bethlehem. It became widespread in the Hungarian language territory and throughout Europe from the 11th century, and became linked with magical practices to drive out evil and conjure up health. On this day, the mediaeval Church used to bless green branches used for thrashing, which came into custom and practice as symbols of renewal, life and fertility. According to the superstition, contact with them also resulted in renewal, health and fertility. For this reason, the young men used to whip the girls on Holy Innocents day. The practice had died out by the end of the 1940s. It was performed in Magyarpolány just for the sake of the film.