The Eighth Tribe, 1975 (2. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1975-11-01 / 11. szám
November, 1975 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 5 FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF PARTICIPANT OBSERVER — AN OVERVIEW OF THE HUNGARIAN FESTIVAL AT THE GARDEN STATE ARTS CENTER, N. J. ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1975 —Madeline Takacs Barboe Thousands of Hungarians, Americans, Hungarian-Americans and American-Hungarians converged at the open-air grounds for this second annual event of this particular and unique ethnic minority group’s festivities and exhibitions. Costumes, handcrafts and specimens of other creative works were pleasingly colorful, aesthetically displayed and artfully portrayed as evidences of Hungarian identity, heritage and culture. Both women’s and men’s costumes were examples of traditional habitats worn in various Hungarian regions, and whether trimly-fitted or lavishlygathered in style, of course could not help but be eye-catchingly admired. The various designs of embroidery and needlework done on aprons, blouses, jackets or other items were illustrations of the exacting skill and meticulous care for achieving perfection in craftsmanship that cannot be denied, and of which the preparer and wearer, too, can very well be proud. Shawls and other wearing apparel, as well as numerous items of home furnishings, also displayed the fine needlework talents of Hungarian motifs and creative heritage. Particularly worthy of attention were the embroidered vestments made especially for Cardinal Mindszenty, which were worn by him during his visit not too long ago to New Brunswick, N. J.; these accoutrements could be viewed as a work of art and love for the now-deceased martyr of Hungary. The carved wooden, arboreal-type large gatepost, made for display at last year’s Hungarian Festival was again on hand and could be seen as a stylistic sign of greeting in welcome to visitors, here and now, as well as to others, then and there, in the homeland of the past. One of the most informative and outstanding exhibits at the Center was that of collected artifacts, memorabilia and photographic enlargements of various contributions and/or contributors of Hungarian heritage linked to American heritage — this, by individuals of Hungarian background or influence as they affected American history and culture, which theme, being of such timely interest especially now because of the United States’ Bicentennial celebration. Particularly noteworthy were the old but still beautiful flags, some dating back to 1898 and early 1900’s, which the Bethlen museum at Ligonier, Pennsylvania, had loaned to the exhibition. The fine materials and stitchery of these banners were still much in evidence even though many of them were quite tattered and must have been put to a great deal of use for outdoor and indoor happenings, such as perhaps of momentous, commemorative, or religious nature which Hungarian immigrants had initiated and attended in America at earlier times. Also, scouting activities all over the world were depicted on bulletin boards and outfitted representatives were on hand for helpful responses to any inquiries ; visitors were quite surprised and very pleased with the outreach work being performed by this worthy group’s members. In addition, there were various organizations represented which aid and benefit individuals generally of Hungarian background; also there were displays of books, newspapers, records, etc., regarding Hungarian culture, tradition and literature of yesteryear as well as of modern times. Another worthy tribute to men and women of Magyar lineage was the fascinating walk-through, eyelevel display showing the formative years of establishing and organizing numerous churches which served immigrants, their families and communities around the early part of the twentieth century; the numbers of children in the photographs showing attendance at Sunday School and Summer School were unequivocal proof of closely-tied, strongly-formed and well-knit minority group members that early Hungarians organized for succeeding generations of posterity in their new land of opportunity. Many facts were made available in this exhibit to astonish the minds of the curious: there were references to Captain John Smith, Kossuth, Kováts, Puskás, Edward Reményi, Elizabeth of the Árpád dynasty, Neumann, von Kármán, Szilard, Őrmandy, Reiner, Dorati, Solti, Rózsa, Dohnányi, Liszt, Bártók, Romberg, Ilona Massey, among others, so that the entire portrayal was not only a collection of factual material to revitalize human endeavors in the past but also depicted a gallery of minority members’ influence related to the majority in America, which exhibit helped in general to serve as a present-day learning experience to everyone partaking of it for their cultural enrichment and future edification. It may be that education and re-education of Americans and Hungarians with such knowledgable information can very well be considered highly important, worthy of awareness and valued, so as not to be overlooked — and, necessary to BE and BECOME known and, in
