Szittyakürt, 1978 (17. évfolyam, 1-9. szám)
1978-09-01 / 9. szám
Page 8 fiOHTfX JUNE 1978 Edge of a Palóc-aprón, embroidered with wheat-ear and bird motives. * Kalotaszeg crape-linen. In weaving, Transylvania is the first in our country, as here we find almost everything that is woven elsewhere, and often other things as well. It is the usual custom in Transylvania to vary the » linen-weaving with red, blue, or black striped patterns, and to weave motives into the edges of towels and engagement kerchiefs. The Kalotaszeg crape-linen is well known all over the world, not only because it lasts well, but because its wavy texture, 9 and its yellowy colour gives it a peculiar charm. ► The yellowish colour and the evenly spun threads not only make it a very good material for embroidery, but even add to its beauty. But perhaps the most varied weaving is to be found amongst the Székelys, as they not only weave linen, but also * beautifully coloured striped woollen bed-covers of a crape texture. Székely «csergc» and frieze-weaving. Even the white frieze cloth of which they make I«szűr»-coats, and «stockings», which are a kind of tight trousers, are made at home by the Székelys. The Székely women also weave the brown frieze of which the mens’ spencer, and the womens’ overcoat, «szokmány» is made. Besides this they also weave a finer kind of rug, which in noble houses was already known in the Middle-Ages, and which is mentioned by Stephen Bethlen, Prince of Transylvania in his will as : «12 pieces of «keese» for the walls». This can be nothing else, but the ancestor of the «csege# or «eserge» found today both in the noble and the peasant houses of Transylvania. The «keese» is made of camel’s hair, it is a fluffy Turkish carpet, which was perhaps brought from Constantinople by our noblemen in the XVIth century. It was used not only as a tapestry, but ► also as a pallium sort of cloak, woven in many bright colours. It is not impossible that at the time of the Turkish conquest such «kecses» were made also here in Hungary,, and that it is here the I Székely «cscrge»-weaving originates The «eserge» today is a fluffy-haired, thick, white, goat's hair or sheep's wool rug, a felt material, which is , beaten well with water in a * fuller to make it shrink. One kind is decorated with tufts of hair in stripes, every stripe being of a dif* - -- - * ferent colour, which gives a very pleasant bright effect. Székely patterned carpets. The crown of Székely weaving is the Székely carpet. This too ip really meant for a bed-cover, it is woollen and is richly patterned. Among the wide stripes we sometimes find large ornamentation drawn in big lines, which woven in peacock-blue on a rust red ora brick-colour ground looks beautiful and very elegant. That the edges of the patterns are toothed show that the way of weaving is similar to that of the Turkish kelim carpets. The kelim (or csilim, tyilim) weaving in Hungary and the Balkán states b ‘gan at the time of the Turkish conquest. We find traces of it in the Székely carpets in Transylvania, in the Rumanian aprons and in the aprons of the Bánság. The Székely carpet, as regards patterns and colouring, shows high culture, and from an artistic standpoint is the most valuable of all our peasant-weavings. The dying of woven goods. For the last few centuries we have had a flourishing blue-dying industry in connection with the peasant clothing. When the women had finished weaving their linen, they took it into the next town or borough to the blue-dyers to have it dyed. The blue-dying industry became necessary all over the country for the women to be able to dye their everyday linen dress, and make it more suitable for daily use and work. This industry exists even today, and it is possible to make a living out of it not only in the country but in Budapest as well. The flowery patterns of the blue-dyers always show the influence of contemporary taste. For a time their patterns were Rococo and Empire, but in the last century Hungarian motives appear on their clichées. It is very likely that the blue-dyers by using the well-known and popular patterns of peasant embroidery, wanted to give the illusion of embroidery to their kerchiefs and aprons. They seem to have succeeded, as some patterns became very much beloved by the people and they were given many orders. The popular patterns were carefully guarded by the master-dyers. Thread was very cleverly dyed by the people also, and the fine colours of the Székely carpets are all dyed by them. SCIENCE Over-production and Under-nourishment The area of food production land is shrinking due to weather condition changes and shifts in weather patterns. The desert areas are, however, growing. On August SO, 1977, representatives of 100 nations gathered in Kenya, Africa to discuss the problems that the ever-growing deserts may cause in the world. The deserts grow 14 million acres per year and already 14% of the world’s population live on arrid lands. The USA wheat growing farmers in the meantime —regardless of the Sun spots—caused drought cycle that already caused $27 million damage in forest fires alone in the USA —this year grew a record amount of crops—20 bushels per acre. The harvest is barely in yet the USA Federal Government is already faced with multiple problems caused by the “over-production of wheat,” such as: 1. How and with what amount to subsidize the wheat farmers who will earn record low prices the third year in a row when this year, too, some 30 billion bushels of wheat was produced— 2. How to convince the farmers to set aside 20% of the wheat-growing acreage and how much to pay the farmer for not growing wheat — 3. How to get rid of some of the current 200 million tons of surplus wheat stock to improve supply and demand — 4. Whom to sell? —China, Russia, India, and anyone who can pay so that the American farmer may profit — 5. And, How to prepare for possible bad wheather that may severely cut down future wheat production that will surely drive wheat prices up and create other problems beside food shortages-frauds, black markets, etc... The plight of the poor of the world, the countless children whi died and will die of hunger —who could not and will not be able to pay (how could they? Their parents often earn only $25 — $50/year) — constitutes another matter. Their needs and urgency often are the results of world and war, or geopolitics, besides the harsh natural realities and weather pattern shifts. Genuine human needs and the modern capitalistic supply and demand practices as a rule are not compatible. Many Hungarians remember the bean days in October and November of 1956. Then the disastrous Christmas followed in the frozen graves for some, or the cold fact of homelessness for many others. Those months were full of hunger and needs as though the sufferings of the Second World War years, 1939 — 1945, were happening again . . . Then, too, both the moral and material help from the West failed to see any real profit in rushing to help those in need in occupied and tortured Hungary. One billion more human beings populate this world since the last ten years . . . * * * HURRICANE — HERricane, HISicane... Starting January 1979 hurricanes will have to be named after male and female names as a result of womans liberation efforts in the USA. Traditionally hurricanes were given female names only but next year their names will be something like: Anna, Bob, Claudett, Dave and so on... * * * One of the solar energy sources can be found in garbage. Yes, regular honest to goodness everyday garbage which —it seems —we will never run out of. For example tomato plants after harvesting are thrown away as garbage. They may be dried and burned in ovens, thus the sun’s energy stored is released. * * * U.S. President James Carter let the American people understand in a recent speech that, “you better not get sued or get sick” because neither the U.S. Bar Association not the U.S. Medical Association are interested primarily about the wellbeing or health of the American individual. INTELLIGENCE REPORT According to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., one of every 10,000 deaths in this country is the result of murder. “Homicides have been rising steadily since 1950,” a company report reveals, “and in 1975 ranked 12th in causes of death in the nation. ” The company says there were 21,300 homicides in 1975, the last year for which it has complete statistics, which comes down to 10 murders per 100,000. Heart desease is still the No. 1 killer in the USA, followed by cancer, strokes and accidents. {Parade. Jan. 8, 1978) * * * Historians tell us that Czar Nicholas II and the immediate members of the royal Russian family were executed by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918 in a small town in the Ural Mountains called Katarinburg. However, recent investigations indicate otherwise. The Grand duchess Anastasia, one of the four daughters of the Czar, may have survived! Yet, the surviving members of the Romanov family were reluctant to accept 'the claim that Anna Anderson Manahan, now living in Georgia in the United States, is actually the Grand duchess Anastasia. Her real identity has been neither conclusively proven nor disproven. She now lives a life much in the public eye as the wife of Dr. John Manahan, a professor of history in Georgia. * * * In 1932 the regular postage to mail a letter cost 3 cents. That lasted for 26 years. In the last 10 years the rate changed five times until it became 13 cents and now the US Postal Service has asked for an other rate rise up to 15 Cents because they already operate with 2 V& Billion Dollars deficit annually. * * * There are 1700 bridges in Allegheny County in the state of Pennsylvania in the USA. That means more bridges per square miles than any other place in the world. In the next 3 years repairing bridges in the city of Pittsburgh alone will cost 40 million dollars! English language publication of the r MT ff / C HUNGÁRIA FREEDOM FIGHTER MOVEMENT _______________Edited by the Revolutionary Council____________ Please remit all correspondence to: P. O. Box 534, Edgewater Branch, Cleveland, Ohio 44107 Copies may be obtained for $1.00 Primed by Classic Printing Corp.. 9527 Madisun Avc.. Cleveland. Ohio 44102
