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

church, or the crucifix, then they stop by the Pieta at the Calvary gate. Then the five stations, and after this the crucifix on Calvary hill, where they sigh, "Christ of sorrow, intercede for us, and all those suffering," and finally comes the Holy Tomb at the side of the Mater Dolorosa chapel. When their prayers are finished, they visit the graves of their relatives in the cemetery, and then go home. They can talk now, but several decades ago, they remained silent even at this time. Until the 1950s, they used to visit the stations of the cross, alone, deep in prayer, at three o'clock in the morning, „as everyone had a trouble or a sorrow they wished to lay before Christ, so that no-one else would see or hear". At nine o'clock in the morning on Good Friday, the faithful gather in the church (mainly the women), where led by the priest, they join in the devotions of the Way of the Cross. This involves prayer and singing at each of the stations, and includes the whole story of the passion. At two o'clock in the afternoon, they all visit the Calvary hill once more, gathering by the crucifix next to the church. Here, by the Pieta, the five stations, the upper crucifix, and the Holy Tomb, they pray the Sorrowful Reader out loud together. They also sing between the stations. The Way of the Cross, the Sorrowful Reader and the cult of the Holy Tomb form part of the sacral experiences, which to a large extent were enhanced in former times by the processions of penitence. XII. Easter Saturday Easter Eve is the Saturday when the resurrection of Christ is celebrated by Christianity. At this time, the fire and the water for christening are consecrated, and baptismal vows are renewed. The custom of fire consecration was established in the 9th-10th centuries, and later became general. The new fire is prepared by the sacristan, for which rotten wooden crosses from the cemetery are used in many places. The kindled fire is consecrated by the priest, and every year, the Easter candles are lit from this. The flame of fire, the Easter candle, is the symbol of the light of the world, the risen Jesus Christ. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, is was a general practice to kindle the fire in the home from the embers of the consecrated fire. The film was taken in Magyarpolány, where we were able to record a custom generally practised in the villages with German minority until the 1950s and 1960s: the preparation of consecrated wood. Small pieces of half-cured wood were cut, which could be easily fitted together, usually of birch, or possibly of seven or nine different types. These were then placed round a longer wooden handle and fixed to it with wire. The number of wooden pieces was optional, and as many were placed in cylindrical form around the handle as were needed by the maker. The name of the object is generally „Judas" in Magyarpolány it is „Judasprau" or „Judasfapreina," and in Bakonyszücs ,Waihoiz". The „Judas" was always taken and placed in the new fire by men, youths or young boys, in order to consecrate it. In families with no men, a boy or youth relative was asked to do this. The consecrated bundle of sticks was left in the fire until this was thoroughly pen-