Fraternity-Testvériség, 2008 (86. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2008-07-01 / 3. szám
FEATURE FUNERAL CUSTOMS IN HUNGARY BY KATHY A. MEGYERI My interest in cemetery art can be traced back to the Hungarian funerals I’ve attended for my husband’s family as well as from studying funerary customs at the Museum in Kerepesi Cemetery. The Magyar conquerors believed that a person possessed several souls, and that after death, one of them departed to a new resting place. Before the country converted to Christianity, a characteristic of the burial places of Hungarian noblemen was the presence of bones from horses and horse gear, found in the graves of both men and women; in fact, the trappings in the women’s graves were usually even more ornamental. In general, the heathen Magyars did not bury whole horses with the dead, but only the head and legs. The following objects were unearthed in a single woman’s grave in Csorna, Gyor-Sopron County: horse’s bones, trappings ornamented with rosettes, stirrups, a bridle, buckle, knife, some earrings, and a silver ring. One single rich man’s grave in Gesztered (Szabolcs-Szatmar County) contained a large collection of sabers, purse plates, silver ornaments for belts, stirrups, a bridle and other objects. That grave also contained a studded belt, which archaeologists consider a sign of rank and dignity. A different type of burial-ground, an extended family grave, has also been excavated, dating from the Conquest. In that, the head of the family is buried in the middle; the men and boys are buried to the left of him and the women to the right. But family burial-grounds of a different layout have also come to light. In the town of Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca, Romania), the graves form three lines. The first row is composed of the graves of horsemen while men, women and children are buried in the other two rows. Sabers are also found among the weapons in the family graves, but never double-edged swords. However, in well-to-do graves of Magyar noblemen, the double-edged, straight sword is characteristic, and there are no horses’ bones or trappings in the women’s graves. In graves dating from the Conquest, generally, the dead person’s face is turned toward the rising sun. In 1958, a grave was found in Szabolcs County which contained a skull that was covered with a piece of leather marked with small silver plates for the eyes and mouth. This finding caused quite a sensation for the custom of using death masks at funerals was practiced until recently by some Finno-Ugrian peoples. Burial customs radically changed in the early 11th century because the Church strictly forbid the burial of horse’s bones along with their masters. During the Middle Ages, the horse was instead presented to the Church. From 1383, the remains of noblemen were placed in the crypts of churches or in the churchyards. Families still liked to be buried together despite the fact that this custom had been prohibited by law for many centuries. The Church warned followers to avoid the splendor of funerals and to refrain from participating in funeral feasts, prayers and collecting alms for the dead. The Council of the Governor-General in the 18th century decreed that cemeteries be placed outside the town and repeatedly forbade expensive funeral feasts. By the turn of the century, Hungary had adopted many of the funeral customs of its neighboring countries. Many believed the approach of death was prophesied by the behavior of animals. Pillows stuffed with hen’s feathers were taken away from the dying person, and often that dying perFRATERNITY - TESTVÉRISÉG 13
