Váczi Mária: Székelyvarsági játékvilág (A Szórakaténusz Játékmúzeum és Műhely gyűjteményei 1; Kecskemét, 2002)

Adatközlők

gently sloping hills and valleys can be found here, but one can see the snowy peaks of Hargita as well. We studied the changing of the playing habits and talked to the members of three generations (grandparents, parents, children). We elaborated anonymous questionaries names containing data in connection with the occupation of the parents and grandparents, home, qualification, family organization, number of children. First we have to say a few words about the families in Varság. Getting divorced is not Tashionable", the one-parent family - which is general in Hungary - is a rare exception in case of both generations. Today the Varság families usually have four children, this number was six in the parents' generation, six or seven in the grandparents' generation. Due to the geographical position of the village, the adult population's place in the division of labour is changing very slowly. It is mostly the men who travel to work to the nearby Székelyudvarhely. As a result of unemployment more and more come over to Hungary. The luckier ones can find jobs owing to their skills in carving wood and making furniture, but it is more usual that - in spite of their skills - they are employed as unskilled workers for low wages in seasonal work (mostly in building and agriculture). Women travelling for work has never been so frequent as men. Unemployment has also appeared among them, and many of them are thinking of working abroad. As a conclusion we can say that the village society still pays attention to the children with affectionate sternness. Respecting parents (adults) and love for work are the most important points of bringing up children in families in Varság. Most primary school pupils want to become a skilled worker, some want to study at university or college, and they want to work in town. These desires may influence the Varság society in a few decades as well as the new cultural and life style patterns mediated by those working abroad for a longer time. Concerning the number of toys in Varság it is not true even today not like in Hungary - that they become fetish objects in children's life. In their world toys do not appear as ready-made things but as activity containing production, sing-and-dance games, collective entertainment of holidays. A specific element of the play culture is the nature around people