Fraternity-Testvériség, 2009 (87. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2009-07-01 / 3. szám
Note the orderly plan of the Calvinist cemetery of Tornakápolna with Catholic and Jewish graves set apart and paths that direct visitors in certain directions. The entrance to the Calvinist cemetery in Dédestapolcsány, Borsod-Abaúj- Zemplén County features coffin supports called “koporsótevő” which are set up just inside the cemetery in the middle of a small circular open space. These coffin supports consist of strongly built timber frames, each 59 cm. in height and width which are placed into the ground parallel to each other at a distance of 1.15 meters. Planted between the graves are numerous fruit-trees and bushes so characteristic of Hungarian village cemeteries. Individual graves are often surrounded by fences with small gates but it is important that the graves appear attractive. After the funeral, of course, graves are covered with wreaths. Aggtelek Religious feasts, especially, require grave maintenance, especially on All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2), Good Friday and Easter. The cult of placing flowers on graves in Hungarian village cemeteries began in the second half of the 19th century. A folk song dating from that time states, “Plant some lily flowers on my tomb, so that my unfaithful lover can cry her heart out.” Women usually tend to the graves’ flowers, but picking or stealing them is condemned throughout Hungary how “the dead reclaim what belongs to them.” However, a handful of soil or grass taken with the left hand from seven, nine or twelve graves is considered to be a magical cure for ailments in some parts of the country. Grave-pits are usually dug on the day of the funeral, especially if the deceased is young, since there is a belief that during the night an evil soul moves into graves dug on the previous day and thus will disturb the deceased’s repose. Village graveyards symbolize tranquility rather than oppressive sorrow because the graveyard for the locals is not only the site of death but also of social life. Sometimes it becomes a playground for children, and on holidays, the elderly who take care of the graves and bring flowers socialize and picnic there. Thus, it becomes a meeting place as well as a setting for remembrance and worship. The function of a grave-sign is to indicate the resting place of the deceased, to preserve their memory by recording their personal data on the grave in accordance with the expectations and traditions of their religion, and to serve as a guide-post for family members to gather on certain occasions. Over the years, grave signs have differed depending on the material used to construct them, be it wood, stone or iron. While the Roman and Greek Catholics used crosses and Jews erected tombstones or grave- slabs, the Protestants marked their graves by pillar or halberd or knob-shaped wooden grave posts and grave-slabs. Grave-signs vary the most because they reflect local villages, ethnic groups, or geographical regions. The most widespread and varied grave-sign made of wood is the grave-post terms for these: in Bánffyhunyad, it’s “fűfa”; in Kalotaszeg, it’s “futül való fa”; in Ormánság, it’s “fejefa”; in Kalotaszeg, it’s “fűtül való fa köbül” (or board at the head of stone). One of the earliest written mention of “fejfa” dates from 1763 in Miskolc. The meaning of the word is interpreted in two ways. First, it is a post erected on the grave above the deceased’s head, and second, the majority of these grave-signs depict a stylized human head and thus accounts for its name. Because the tree-trunk is the basic form, the possibilities for variations of the wooden grave-posts are endless. Each Hungarian village has its own characteristic form and variations which differ from those found in a neighboring village. Grave- posts can be of many shapes: stumped (“fatönkös fejfák”), columned (“oszlopos fejfák”), halberd-shaped (“kopjafák”) or tabular (“táblás fejfák”). Stumped grave-posts require the most simple tools to make, mostly a carpenter’s axe and a chisel for engraving the letters. Thus, these grave-posts invariably spread among the Calvinists in Hungarian-inhabited regions. Some are boat-shaped and their upper parts are trimmed on three sides and terminate in a pointed end that resemble the bow of a boat. In many cases, the notches carved in them indicate the deceased’s age-the horizontal slashes indicate the decades and the vertical slashes indicate the years. The proportions of many column grave-posts look like a human body. The Calvinist churches of Baranya, Somogy and Fejér as various folk beliefs and legends recount (“fejfa” or “headboard”). There are several Grave-Signs “1922 Itt nyugszik Fórizs József Élt 81 (1922-Here lies József Fórizs Lived 81)” Sign found in Szőlősardó “Itt várom Boldog Feltámodásom Tako Mari élt 4 évet meg halt 1906 évben (Flere I am waiting for my joyous Resurrection, Mari Tako lived 4 years, died in the year 1906)” Sign found in Barabásszeg 20 -ALL 20
