Váczi Mária: Székelyvarsági játékvilág (A Szórakaténusz Játékmúzeum és Műhely gyűjteményei 1; Kecskemét, 2002)

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Váczi, Mária The World of Play in Székelyvarság As part of the series introducing the collections of Szórakaténusz Toy Museum and Workshop the present booklet is about the toys and games from Székelyvarság. Due to the research project organised by the Museum Organization of Bács-Kiskun County and the Rezső Haáz Museum in Székelyudvarhely, we could visit Varság in 1992 and 1993. We wanted to compare the experiences gained among Kecskemét children in 1988-89. We were interested in the similarities and differences of different generations' play culture and the reasons of these tendencies. I have always thought - and the years spent in the toy museum reassured me in it - that we need a comprehensive play-sociology research, with more emphasis on the play habits of families. One of the main arguments - among others - is that value-sociology and attitude studies emphasize that one cannot reconstruct the development of the scale of values without studying the childhood thoroughly. It also means that we must pay attention to playing as the most elementary manifestation of mankind. This can be justified by the role of playing in culture mediating and socialization, as well as by the fact that playing is a mirror that reflects the image of a society defined by the era. Last but not least, the most important argument is the self and community maintaining strength of playing, especially if we define playing as mentality or a certain way of thinking. This article is only an assumingly subjective snapshot of the close of the century, of a world where time has "taken rest", but changes have lightly touched the traditional social frames. 'Székelyvarság is a typical Hungarian sporadic mountain settlement in Transylvania which has a secondarily-formed village centre due to the natural thickening and pressure from above. The public buildings stand here: the church, the parish hall, the school, the house of culture, the health centre. The biggest shop and the pub can also be found here. On every Sunday the inhabitants of the far-away mountain cottages meet each other on the field between the church and the pub." The village has about 1600 inhabitants. Beautiful forests,