Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Time and social networks
82 Davide Torsello provided by neighbours in the row of houses near the altar. As the altars are moved each year along the same street, responsibility for the flowers and picture inside is taken in turn by different houses. At the time of this ceremony (2001) approximately two hundred people participated in the mass and many more joined the procession or watched it from their houses. However, those family members whose houses were close to the altars did not dare peep out of their gates. They were watching from behind the window and waited for the procession to move back out into the street. Also, four persons, dressed in suits and neckties, stood at the village’s two entrances to prevent any car from getting onto the main road. The social meaning of the procession is demonstrated by two factors: the degree of social interaction and the process of identification. Long and careful preparations are made by the groups who take part in the ceremony. From the scouts to the elderly women, all of them meet before the event to plan and then undertake preparations. The erection of the altars is a long process that takes the two days preceding the procession and which requires the joint work of the women from the neighbourhood and the men responsible for building them as well as procuring the tree branches. In this way, the event is an important occasion for interaction among villagers, as well as delegation of and compliance with tasks and mutual help. The event also provides a means of identification for the whole community. Villagers proudly emphasize that, in spite of the many historical changes, the village has always succeeded in reproducing its own “collective face“. One informant put it in these terms: I I know, people say a lot of bad things about village relations today. It is partly our fault, partly the fault of history. I can’t deny that there have been many negative episodes within the community after which some people still avoid each other. But when it comes to organizing something together, gathering collective efforts, people get together and cooperate. I’m proud of this. It's sufficient if you come to one of the many
