Kunt Ernő szerk.: Kép-hagyomány – Nép-hagyomány (Miskolc, 1990)

I. RÉSZTANULMÁNYOK - Novák László: Figurális kommunikáció a népéletben

FIGURATIVE COMMUNICATION IN FOLK-LIFE LÁSZLÓ NOVAK Eroticism is a natural human display in state of biologically ripe age and sexual potency. That's why a question can be put: as it is a usual human feature is there any difference between certain social groups (population of villages and country towns) in the respect of eroticism? Though displays of eroticism were not unmolested in smaller communities, in villages, sinners were neither disaproved nor sentenced. In spite of the fact that moral debancheries of women and men were condemnable they had love-affairs. It was natural especially among the poors. Though fornication and commiting adultery were prohibited and punished - people practised them and other people knew well the persons (young men and women) who were in love with each other. As today, in the past love was freely displayed as it is in a remark during dance in Mezőség expressing girl's thank to the young man for something: „Either I'll harvest or hoe or I'll lie with you this night" Spinneries were important places for youngs' gathering. In villages, in a hired room girls gathered to spin hemp and boys also went there, of course. While they were working they had fun, love chaff in their erotic attraction and longing ending in sexuality many times.

1 Dancing-houses, dancing-places also gave possibilities for it as dance itself drew the youngs' attention to choose a partner. Words of the dance songs also have erotic contents as it is in a remark of young men during dance in Mezőség (contents only): „little girl don't shout when you are perforated because hearing it your mother'll sew your »opening«!"

2 Village community did not cast out sinners of eroticism but they were not idealized either, as it is certified by folkpoetry.

3 A beautiful example of love symbolics can be mentioned for it at Moldavian Hungarians.

4 Population of country-towns was almost the same in sexuality but people were under closer religious and secular control. Though authorities prohibited loose, immoral life, sexual overdoing did not dissappeare. it is certified by the sources of the age.

5 Number of population was more in a country-town than in a village and its community was organized socially. Settlement-structure was also developed. In a country-town, e.g. Nagykőrös, where the population was homogeneous protestant, the leading part of religion was essential: poor, puritan pious life, diligence and settled sexuality meant the general moral scale of values. Here financial conditions had great importance so mentality, moral conception, scale of values, sexuality, eroticism differed.

6 Let's see some examples for it from the „Three Towns": Kecskemét, Nagykőrös, Cegléd. Possibilities of amusement were limited by the Church and by the Magistracy, too. In Kecskemét e.g.