Magyar News, 2001. szeptember-2002. augusztus (12. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2002-06-01 / 10. szám
Un old tradition in Hungary by Oliver Valu The reason I became interested in this subject is as follows: In late February 2001, my family and I attended the Farsang ball at Saint Lászlo's Church in New Brunswick, NJ. Before the dance, we visited a Hungarian restaurant and the Hungarian museum. At the gift shop, I purchased copies of the book Hungarian Folk Customs. I found the traditional folk customs in the book extremely fascinating. At the ball, we were amused to see a couple hundred people, including many children, wearing costumes and masks in every imaginable style and theme. The whole day left a delightful impression on me and ever since then, a strong interest in things related to Hungarian seasonal masquerading practices. Then in September 2001, we visited the Hungarian museum in Passaic, NJ. The director Emese Kerkay was kind enough to display a real buso mask for me to photograph! The months of the late autumn and Oliver Valu with the newly acquired busó “equipment. ” winter seasons are a time of the year when the sky is dark and grey, the landscape is dull brown, the trees are bare, creating a spooky and frightening effect, and there is a bleakness, a dreariness, and a gloominess floating about in the air. So, it seems fitting that we have been pleasantly blessed with a series of festive, colorful holidays to brighten up these seasons & to add a touch of warmth to the spirit of humanity. Some of these include All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween), Thanksgiving, Saint Nicholas' Eve (and day), Saint Lucia Day, Advent, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Epiphany (Vízkereszt in Hungarian), Carnival, and Saint Valentine's Day. Carnival is a season of merry-making which celebrates the burial or the end of winter and it is a welcoming of springtime. It originated from ancient times as a spring fertility ritual. It lasts from Epiphany (January 6th) to Shrove Tuesday (Húshagyó Kedd)-the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent which is a period of fasting. Some famous carnivals around the world occur in: Venice, Italy; Rio diJaneiro, Brazil; New Orleans, Louisiana (Mardi Gras); and Hungarian "Farsang" celebrations including the Busójárás Carnival in Mohács, southern Hungary. Visit Europe.com lists the major carnivals in Europe. During Farsang, there is the fanciful, exquisite, and elegant as well as the fun, casual, and light-hearted. Like long ago, today there occur costume balls, dances, parties, parades, masquerading, and other strange and unusual fascinating practices that involve native traditional folk customs. Some customs found in Hungarian villages include coloring children's faces black with soot, giving them a stick, and having them go from door to door in the neighborhood (like trick-or-treating) asking for a piece of bacon to stick on the end of their rod, which they later roast on a burning fire and eat merrily while singing. They’d also eat fank which are Hungarian donuts. Also, in Szeged on the Saturday before Farsang Vasamap (Sunday), there is a burning of a straw witch which is then thrown into the Tisza River and which is likely to cast out sickness and evil spirits from the village. This was even shown on Hungarian television. The Fanta Carnival in Vörösmarty Tér, Budapest, was one of this year’s Farsang celebrations and it included a parade and a costume contest with special surprise appearances by Saint Nicholas, a Kossuth Lajos impersonator, a king and his knights, a krampus (devlish monster), a busójára (masked beast), masked Venetian camivalers, harlequins and clowns, uni-Left above: The buso mask that Emese Kerkay showed Oliver. Left: Behind the busás to the right is a large Coke bottle that is used as advertising. Right: A couple dressed as witches call attention at the town square. They are dressed unconventionally also carrying a buso doll. Photo: Valu Page 6
