The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1984 (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1984-10-01 / 10-11. szám
A PERSONAL REPORT ON THE 1984 FOLK DANCE AND CULTURAL TOUR OF HUNGARY — by — Jim Gold What’s the most important thing to take with you when you travel abroad? Of course you need a passport, visa, luggage, reservations, maps, and money. But, more important yet: you need a sense of humor. A sense of humor was a definite asset on our tour of Hungary. After a four hour flight delay, 23 Americans boarded our 747 jet at JFK airport in New York City. On our tour we wanted to learn Hungarian folk dances and explore Hungarian folk culture. In the process we visited the Calvinist College, art museum, and library in Debrecen, the art colony of Szentendre, Nyíregyháza, Hortobágy, Szekszard, the Rákóczi castle in Saraspotak, Lake Balaton, the Paprika museum in Kalosca, purchased hand-embroidered blouses in Mezőkövesd and Eger; we cruised the Danube, visited Buda castle in Budapest, saw open air performances by the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble on St. Margit’s Isle; we met local folk dance groups, took dance workshops with them, visited peasant homes, ate in local csárdás . . . Yet, in spite of all these pluses, a sense of humor was still needed: The airlines lost half our luggage when we arrived in Budapest (It was returned the next day. Still, what an opener!) Several hotels didn’t have the private bathrooms we wanted; sometimes the bus didn’t show up on time, or, tour participants didn’t show up on time, or a collective farm visit cancelled because of logistic problems . . . Minor inconveniences. What’s the best defense, the best attitude? On a tour such as ours, where improvisation plays such a big role, a sense of humor wins hands down. But complaints fell away as our tour progressed. Talk about an education! An unforgettable learning experience! To see the csárdás danced by native Hungarians on their native soil, to dance with them, learn from them, participate in their celebrations, and be welcomed into their village with music, song, and dance. In Bogyislo, a village northwest of Szekszard in Transdanubia, villagers greeted us at the bus, led us to their dance hall where a log table heaped with breads, wines, cakes, sausages, and cheeses stood before us. Women and their daughters wore beautiful handembroidered dress, men offered us their home-made wines; a Gypsy band-they just won first prize in a competition in Finland-started playing a lively Ugros. We danced, sang, ate, and “conversed” with our limited Hungarian vocabulary, and were greeted by smiles, embraces, and an invitation to dance again. One day we took an excursion to the Hortobágy. We rode across the plain in a horsedrawn carriage and felt the vast stillness and silence of this seemingly endless steppe; we met the Csikós, heard them crack their whips as they drove a thundering herd of horses before them. Lunch at the local Csarda, delicious gulyás; then a visit to the Hortobágy Shepherd’s Museum where we learned that the Argentinian gaucho outfit derives from the plains of Hortobágy. Near Nyíregyháza, in Mátészalka, we danced with a dynamic local group-the Szatmar Ensemble. The men performed breathtaking Pontozo and Legenyes, dances from Transylvania, then led us in an Ugros, a winding chain formation with the leader, a woman, calling out the figures. All these dances are improvisory in character, and in this case, it was the leader who improvised. We all tried to follow her. We also learned Magyar Verbunk and a Csardas from her. Then, a few hours later, at the end of an exciting evening—everyone was hugging, giving out addresses and presents—I took out my tape recorder and taught the Szatmar Ensemble some American dances. They loved ours. We loved theirs. A true cultural exchange. After a tour like this you are never the same; the experience changes you; it opens your eyes and ears—and your heart too. You find yourself giving away your personal belongings as presents. You want a villager to have them as a rememberance of you. Suddenly you’re a diplomat improving international relations, building, through personal contact, bridges to another country. We returned to Budapest for shopping and a farewell dinner. The following morning our plane left for New York City. (This time only one piece of luggage got lost.) We shouted “Viszontlatasra,” as the plains of Hungary disappeared beneath us. Next year we'll do it again. HUNGARIAN RADIO WDUQ — 90.5 FM, Pittsburgh, Pa. Sunday, Noon till 1:30 P.M. — Hungarian Varieties. Producer and announcer: Dr. Victor W. Molnár. Mostly music as well as interviews, reports. News with a Hungarian Touch. WEDO — 810 AM, McKeesport, Pa. Sunday afternoon: 2:15 to 2:30 — The Hungarian Reformed Radio Program—Sponsored by the Hungarian Protestant Ministerial Association of Pittsburgh and vicinity. WASP — 1130 AM — Brownsville, Pa. Sunday morning at 10:00 A.M.—HUNGARIAN TIME—The host and announcer is Irene Orosz Mowers. WWBR — 1350 AM — Johnstown, Pa. Hungarian Music every Sunday afternoon from 1:00 to 1:30 P.M. New Jersey WCTC - 1450 AM - New Brunswick, N.J. Sunday afternoon 12:15 to 1:30. Kara’s Hungarian Melody Time. WJDM - 1530 AM - Elizabeth, N.J. Sunday mornings 8:45 to 9:15. Nándor Erdei’s “Hungarian Rhapsody.” Neto York WHBI-FM — 105.9, New York, N.Y. Hungarian Protestant Radio Worship Service Sunday afternoon at 1:45. Ohio WCSB — 89 FM — Cleveland, t)hio. “Mihály Fabriczi Kováts radio program. Every Wednesday afternoon 5:00 to 6:30 o’clock. Program director: Dr. Géza Szentmiklóssy Éles, technical manager: János Chomor. Domestic and foreign policy commentaries, historical essays and news reports. Excellent music. NBN—106 FM/SCA — Cleveland, O. Monday through Friday: 11 AM to 12 Noon. Hungarian Voice of Northeastern Ohio. Hosts: Miklós & Maria Monday through Friday: 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. — Hungarian Programs A'ith Miklós and Mária Kossányi, Steve Marko, Dr. Louis Rost, Dr. Paul Löte, Csongor Torma, Miklós Kossányi, Tibor Kálnoki Kis, Leslie Dus, Ildikó Végh, Rt. Rév. Tibor Dömötör, George Búza, Ildikó B. Ormai, Kornél Nagy and Julius David. Saturday and Sunday, 5:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. — Hungarian Programs with Leslie Dus, Ildikó Végh, Ágoston Liver, Sándor Szabadkai, Miklós and Mária Kossányi. Sunday: Hungarian Mass from Saint Emery Catholic Church at 10:00 A.M. Page 11 October-November, 1984
