Horváth Attila – Solymos Ede szerk.: Cumania 2. Ethnographia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1974)

J. Vorák: Kolompár Kálmánné kiskunhalasi cigányasszony kézimunkái

wings, plants and other figures. Their order within the groups was determined by the frequency of their occurrence in all communications and/or by the emphasis Mrs. Kolompár laid upon their „lucky" character. Of the beliefs supposedly connected with the things represented I set out first the general or Hungarian ones by the single regions (a), then the Hungarian beliefs of Kiskunhalas (b) and eventually the Kiskunhalas gipsy ones (c). Peacock a) ,, . . . the feather of the peacock brings misfortune to the family. He who keeps a peacock feather, will be filled with envy. Peacock feathers can be seen worn by children and young lads, stuck in their hats, — formerly people stuck them into the frames of the mirrors." (Hódmezővásárhely) 8 b) If the peacock is crying there will be rain. It is ill luck if one takes its feathers into the house, — the belief is that this means misfortune. (Mária Kiss, 75 years old, resident in Kiskunhalas, — in the following: MK.) — Their feathers are bought by the small farmers and stuck in the frames of their mirrors. People would not buy them if they brought misfortune. (Mrs. Lajos Váczi née Klára Orbán, 59 years old, resident in Kiskunhalas, grown up in the detached farmsteads of Kiskunhalas, — in the following: LV.) c) The peacock means coolness, coldness. To see it means good luck when weather is hot. Similarly a good sign when it ,,cries rain". (Ilona Boris, 40 years old, resident in the Cserepes gipsy row of Kiskunhalas, — in the following: IB). Luck, very good luck. (Cannot, or does not want to tell why.) (János Kerekes, 61 years old, resident in Kiskunhalas, lives in the Cserepes gipsy row, — in the following: JK). — Gipsy youngsters, when guests at a wedding put it on their hats near the ribbon because it meant luck. (Mrs. László Jakab, 60 years old, resident of the Cserepes gipsy row of Kiskunhalas, — in the following: LJ). Pigeon, wild pigeon a) Trials for witchery, 1747. Kecskemét: ,,...1 did not teach it. I only told Mrs. Dani that she put a large mug in the earth, in it she put a pigeon's heart, and on the handle of the mug she put a padlock, — I bought the padlock myself from the ironmonger for 5 polturas ... — did you tell her what its digging up would be good for? — So that the law could not be shed on their heads for that money. . . . "

9 — Fekete Körös valley: If a husband does not care for his wife, the woman takes a handful of salt to a place where pigeons are kept and puts it in a nest. She leaves it there for two days or so, then takes it home and uses it when cooking. Her husband will love her again.

,0 — Kalotaszeg: Those who see pigeons flying when on a journey, are going to hear good news soon. To hear doves cooing means the same. To dream about pigeons means meeting the ,,dcar one".

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— Göcsej ,,doings": The person in love takes out a pigeon's heart, dries it, crushes it, mixes it with wine and makes the one she loves drink it. (Kissziget). — The hearts of two young pigeons have to be kneaded into dough and baked as cakes, and the person in question has to give these to eat to the one she wants to get as a lover. (Göntérháza.) — The girl bakes the hearts of two female pigeons, dries them up, pounds them into powder and, burning the tape for fastening the drawers of the young man (which she cut off without being noticed), mixes the ash with dust scraped off his thumb nail. The mixture she kneads with sour cream into dough for cakes. Having baked the cakes, she gives them to the young man and she will win his heart. (Bánokszentgyörgy.)

12 b) If it bathes in dust, the weather is going to be dry, if in water then there will be rain. (KM) — To dream about pigeons means becoming engaged. — It is especially a white pigeon which means very good luck when seen in a dream. — If many pigeons suddenly come into the courtyard in winter then it is certain that snowfall is near. — If girls want to bind a young man to themselves, they give him food to eat in which they have cooked or baked the heart of a little pigeon. (LV) c) To see them in pairs in spring means luck. (JK) — If in a dream you see a white pigeon, you will meet good luck (Mrs. József Jakab, 61 years old, lives in the Cserepes gipsy row in Kiskunhalas, — in the following: JJ). — One of the feathers of a Jittlc piegon caught hefore St. George's day has to be put into one's purse: it brings money. Money comes just as fast as the dove flies away when let free. — Brides should put a pigeon's feather in the pocket of their bridegroonm without his noticing it,he will never cheat or lcavvc them. (LJ). Goose, wild goose, Utile goose a) Zsigmond Szendrcy: ". . . a vegetation symbol, ... a bird taking illness away, and also an emanation bird."

12 — Kalotaszeg: If at a christening the procession meets a goose, then the child will be prey to gossip through his life; it has the same meaning with bridal processions.

14 b) If in spring little geese are hatched before there are foals born, then the geese will be in luck's way. If a foal is born first, then from the eggs few geese will be hatched. — Downy goose 8 Lajos KISS: The „small stock" of the Hódmezővásárhely people — Ethn. 36:160—161. 9 Ferenc SCHRÄM: The trials for witchery of Hungary (1529—1768) — Budapest. 1970. 1:475 - Proceedings against Pila Sajtos and Mrs. Dani. 10 Dr. István GYŐRFFY: Superstitious beliefs of the Hungarians of the Feketekörös valley. — Ethn. 27:83. 11 Mrs. Henrik Wlislocki: Presaging animals in the popular beliefs of Kalotaszeg — Ethn. 3:54. 12 Ferenc GÖNCZI: „Doings" („teemények") of love in Göcsej — Ethn. 28:34—38. 13 Zsigmond SZENDREY: The plant-, animal- and mineral world in the magic acts — Ethn. 48—160. 14

Mrs. Henrik WLISLOCKI: The child in Hungarian popular belief—Ethn. 4:431. 194