Siklódi Csilla szerk.: Tradicionális sportok, népi játékok (A Sportmúzeum Kincsei 2. Budapest, 1996)

Tradicionális sportok, népi játékok (Siklódi Csilla)

Csilla Siklódi Traditional sports and folk games Among the cultural traditions of Hungary, the sports- and games-like aspect of eurhythmies has been sadly neglected, and a pale reflection of these only survives in the folk dances. Scholars working in the Sport Museum therefore launched a research project in 1992 which was joined by the colleagues working in the Estonian Sports Museum and the Olympic Museum in Helsinki. The results of this research project are presented in a separate exhibition and in the present volume. Ever since one of the most renowned historians of our time, Johan Huizinga published his book, Homo ludens (Munich, 1956), the research of this species of man has occupied a special place in social studies. It has become clear that playing games, including sports — in the modern sense of the word — is a basic element of human social existence and behaviour. A better knowledge of the history of games not only answers questions of which games were played in a given period, but also sheds light on their social role and their importance in education and socialization. Current investigations are also focused on the extent to which certain games and traditional sports can be regarded as part of folk culture or as part of an élite culture. Traditional sports and folk games are inextricably linked: there is no sharp boundary between the two, and neither can they be separated by strict definition. ( 1. picture) Still, conventional wisdom holds that there is a difference between sports and games. Traditional sports are generally considered to include activities that were earlier a part of subsistence activities, specific lifeways or military activities, such as archery, riding, fencing, hunting, etc. One case in point is hunting, which in earlier times was, and in some cultures still is, a subsistence activity. At the same time, for those who pursued hunting for their own pleasure, this activity has become a sport. In Hungary, hunting was, until recently, traditionally the nobles' sport or, rather, their privilege. If pursued by children, hunting becomes a game. It would nonetheless be a mistake to assume that adults engage in sports, while children merely play games. Some of the most simple games, such as racing, wrestling or the wide range of ball games known from the ethnographic record, involve activities that pit the players' strength, swiftness and skill against each other. Linked to various festivals and other social events, these activities were readily pursued by teenagers, both girls and boys. If the same games are played under regulated conditions, on a pre-defined field or track and according to pre-determined rules, they are engaged in sporting activities. Another major difference is that the performance of sportsmen is timed, measured and recorded, irrespective of the results they achieve in the contest, while only