Magyar News, 2004. szeptember-2005. augusztus (15. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2005-07-01 / 11-12. szám

Country side with ancient style huts.

View of the city Urumchi

Hungarian belong to the Finno-Ugric language group, and both tongues share a few common words. According to Kiszely, the ancestors of the Hungarian and the Finn traded these words - 42 in total today - when they encountered each other near the Ural sometime after the Magyar tribes left north-west China in the 7th century. (The two peoples lived together 150 years, said Kiszely. Ample time to pick up portions of each other's vernacular.) Critics argue that academic theory linking Hungary's origins to the Ural was politically motivated. In the 19 th century, the conquering Hapsburgs used it to downplay Hungary's eastern Turkish ties. A century later, the Soviets found it expedient to link Hungary's past to lands found within the USSR.

But before the mid-19th century, Hungarian gazed in the direction of Asia when pondering their past. Declared Erzsébet Toth, coordinator of the Hungarian Tibet Society: "All the ancient legends and stories connect Hungarian with the peoples of the east." In 1819, famed Hungarian ethnographer Sándor Körösi Csorna ventured as far as Tibet to find the origins of the Magyar. He failed. And his failure is considered proof that Asian soil holds no secrets of Hungary's ancient past. According some scholars, Hungary's Asian traditions arise from its location at the east-west crossroads, and the plethora of peoples that have passed through here over the centuries. "It is hard to define: What is Hungarianism, who is a Hungarian," said Toth. "Here in Hungary dozens of nationalities have been mixed together... I don't think [Hungary's past] is reconstructible." According to Kiszely, Körösi Csorna himself disagreed. Hungary's revered Orientalist found no Magyar skeletons in the Himalayas in the early 19th Century.

But Kiszely contends he didn't go quite far enough. "Before Körösi Csorna died in 1842, his last words were...to find

the roots of the Hungarian people, go to the district of the Uigurs. [He] knew very well where to search." But by 1915, politics again foiled this quest. A Chinese annexation kept Hungarian anthropologists out of the Xinjiang province for 79 years. Political thaw in Moscow and Beijing in the 1980s appears to have finally lifted the mist that had long hidden the 1,400-yearold horse tracks between Hungary and China. "It is amazing to me," Kiszely mused. "For 150 years [anthropology] served the government. Now I can allow myself to serve no one but the truth."

The Uigur, with a total population of 7.21 million, have lived at the foot of Mt. Tianshan for several centuries. They used to colonize in the north and northwest region of China, suffering from the wars between tribes, before migrating to the Western Regions (present Xinjiang).

The origin of Uigur ethnic group can be traced back to the nomadic people living around Lake Baikal and the area between the Irtish River and Lake Balkhash in the third century B.C. During the long history, these people amalgamated the north and south Xinjiang, Mongolian, Han and Tibetan clans. And the present Uigur ethnic group came into being.

The Uigur has its own language and alphabet, which belongs to the Turki Austronesian, Altai Phylum. In their language, "Uigur" means "solidification and union". The Uigurs rely heavily on agriculture as their main source of survival. They plant cotton, wheat, com and paddy. The largest grape base of China is also located in the Turpan Basin.

The Uigurs are believers of the Islamic faith, which influences family life, marriages, food, finery and customs. In their daily diet, cooked wheaten food is their staple food, which includes nang, lamian (pulled noodle), zhuafan and baozi (steamed stuffed buns). The Uigurs favor beef, mutton, chicken, duck and fish as the meat in their diet. Fruits also play an

important role in their life.

The Uigur dress follows a unique style. The men often wear an unbuttoned robe outside their shirt with square webbing tied around their waist. The women like fresh and brightly colored clothes. Their favorite accessories include earrings, bracelets and necklaces. All the people, young or old, man or woman, all favor the Russian boot and tetragon cap embroidered with black and white or colored silk threads in traditional Uigur designs. Young girls like to comb their hair into a dozen pigtails, since long hair is regarded as a part of the feminine beauty. After marriage, women usually wear two pigtails with loose ends, decorated on the head with a crescent shaped comb.

The Uigurs are known for their skill in singing and dancing. On festive days and at gatherings of friends and relatives, Uigurs love to sing and dance. Their lively dances demonstrate diligence, bravery, openness and optimism. These dances are also characterized by unique head and wrist movements. Their clever coordination is enhanced by the typical posture of tilted head, thrust chest and erect waist.

The Corban Festival, Almsgiving Festival, Kaizhai Festival and Nuolu Festival are their most important festivals to the Uigur people.

Kaizhai Festival: According to Islamic calendar, the month of fast lasts from the first day of the ninth month to the first day of the tenth month of each year. During this period, eating and drinking are forbidden in the daytime. At the last day of fast, namely the first day of the tenth month, all Moslems, after bath, would go to mosque to pray and hold a series of celebrating activities. Followed after 70 days the most important Guerbang Festival. During this festival, some livestock are killed as sacrifices to the Allah.

It was interesting to look into the life of people whom we ar related to.

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