Fügedi Márta szerk.: B.-A.-Z. megye népművészete (Miskolc, 1997)

ANGOL NYELVŰ ÖSSZEFOGLALÁS Fügedi Márta

The region has long traditions in hemp processing so it is natural that there had to be plenty of carefully processed, richly ornamented devices used for it. It is especially the spinning devices, the distaffs that are tastefully decorated as it is a job which young girls also did. The distaffs with bells and the tools decorated with lead inlay or waxwork, used in the region of the Palots, are masterpieces of carving. The mangles belong to the most beautiful gifts produced by Hungarian folk art. On these objects we often find names, dates, hearts and other love symbols. Richly ornamented devices can also be found in plenty among the tools of farming. A lot of objects come in an everyday and a special version, which gives the researcher an opportunity to study the diverse relationships between function and ornamentation. From among the devices of stock breeding the hooks used in sheep breeding, which has long traditions in the county, are exceptionally beautiful. The magnificent hooks of a blacksmith from Edelény, which were cast from bronze, were not only popular in the neighbourhood but were sold in far away regions, as well. The decorated specimens of the yokes used to transmit the draught power of cattle were made in several places but the ones made by the carvers of the Bükk mountains are the most beautiful among them. As regards farming tools, there are also richly ornamented devices among the sneads and whetstone holders, too. On the tools made of forged iron (hoes, knives, axes, sickles, hay cutters) not only the ornamented blacksmith brands were common but the smaller stylized ornaments, as well. Ornaments were also present on the articles of viticulture. The huge wine presses are in themselves an impressive sight with their robust size and nicely worked modern material. The carved floral patterns on their shafts, the illuminated dates and inscriptions undoubtedly serve to fulfil aesthetic needs. 5. The last big unit of the book presents the relationship between the individual and the community through a group of objects. The individual living in a traditional peasant society lived a life regulated by the norms of the community. Though the conventions of the local national dressing, the rites and customs of religious life and the holidays limited the possibilities and the freedom of the individual, these unwritten rules at the same time gave him a sense of security and the feeling that he belonged to a community. The national costumes of the county reflect the stratification of the ways of living and traditions of common people, from the peasant citizens of the market towns through the large number of village nobility to the considerably large crowds of cotters and season workers. Even 19th century etnographical works characterized the population of a region with the most spectacular feature: their national costumes: 'the national costume of the region along the Sajó is the simplest, that of the Tisza region is the most elegant and that of the Matyós is the showiest'. In general, local national costumes survived in our county until World War II. Tourism, however can promote their preservation powerfully, as it happens with the Matyós of South Borsod. The traditions of local folk dancing can survive in the form of folklorism.