Magyar News, 2000. szeptember-2001. augusztus (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2000-12-01 / 4. szám

elcome to the wonderful world of Magyar Santa postcards and Saint Nicholas history! This is a form of antiques and collectables called ephemera -the name denoting the relative short life of the delicate paper postcards in comparison to other antiques. This past summer, I won eleven St~ Nick postcards in a stamp specialty auction in Budapest. The cards included German, Czech, and four Magyar cards. On a previous trip in December 1999, I visited at least a dozen antique book and postcard stores searching for such items with no luck at all whatsoever. So, I was very fortunate to find these cards on this particular visit.

The reason I was searching for these Magyar Santa postcards is as follows. I am a member of the Memories of Santa Collector's Club of the Christmas Reproductions company of New York City, which produces Santa figurines from historical images such as postcards, paintings, advertise- ments, etc. The Santas are from different countries from around the

world but none yet from Magyarorszag. So, I sent a copy of Joseph Balogh's article "Santa Came from Hungary" to the Christmas Reproductions company founder and president. Then, when I met this man in Connecticut two years ago, he told me he was interested in producing a Magyar Santa Claus & all that was needed was a dated illustrated historical source of a Hungarian Santa.

Now that this problem has been solved, I thought it would be a good idea to share these delightful images with the readers of the Magyar News. I must say, I recently visited the Yankee Candle Company in Deerfield, Massachusetts again with my parents and was happy to have a chance to see and photograph the beautiful Magyar Santa dolls that Mr. Balogh pictured and wrote about in his story a few years back.

The first of four postcards is from 1908 and shows Santa in an old- fashioned long blue winter coat and hat with brown fur trim. He is holding switches called "virgács" in Hungarian, very popular in St.

Nicholas Day folklore, custom, and tradition. Switches and coal were given to naughty children. Real lighted candles on Christmas trees is a popular old custom in Magyarorszag. Santa's scary helper was called Krampus who frightened kids.

Postcard two from 1949 shows St. Nicholas wi th kids placi~g shoes or .boots in a window on December 6th St. Miklós Feast Day Ev~, a popular.cust~m in Hungary, as in Holland, etc. Hungarianstyle folk art IS featured In this cartoonlike image. After WWII, the Szent was referredtoasTelapo, similar to Grandfather Frost of Russia.

Card number three is from 1934 and depicts Santa in a blue coat and hat ~ with a cane, an offshoot of the bishop's staff.

The forth card is from 1914, the first year of World War One. It was illustrated by the artist A. Biczo and features Szent Mikulás wearing the famous Hussar-style military coat and holding a toy sword and rifle. The cord-breasted coat/suite was popular for military, clergy, officials, and nobility.

I shall provide some historical background for the interest of my readers. St. Nicholas is also called Father Christmas in England, Kris Kringle from Pennsylvania, and Santa Claus in the USA. He has an over 1700 year old history and a tradition that spans the whole world. He came from a town in the Roman Empire called Patera in what is today Turkey. He became Bishop of the Diocis of Myra, where there was later built a St. Nicholas Church. Nicholas was the patron of sailors and the beautiful patron of children. On Dec. 6, 343, he was laid to rest in a tomb in Myra.

In 1082 during the Crusades, he was removed from Myra by sailors and brought to Bari, Itály, where the Cathedral of St. Nicholas was built. He was the most enormously popular saint of the middle ages. Nicholas than all the 12 Apostles.

Inspired by his miracles and protec-Page 6

by Oliver Valu,