Fraternity-Testvériség, 2009 (87. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2009-07-01 / 3. szám
Abádszalók, Kenderes, (Szolnok County). The representation of a bud or a blooming flower was consistently used on children’s graves to symbolize the phrase he “died in the bloom of life.” The heart, a symbol of love and grief, was usually put on women’s grave-signs. The inscription was placed on the face of the grave-sign, generally on the trunk. The writer of the epitaph and the carver of the grave-post may not necessarily be the same person. Often the grave-post was shaped by an elderly man while the calligraphy work was entrusted to a younger man more skilled in writing, which shows that this division of labor made grave-posts extremely important since at one time, shape alone conveyed all the necessary information. With the spread of literacy among the peasants, the old signs of shape alone and primitive carvings have gradually fallen into oblivion. During the last 150 years, the study of grave A BFTIRA or ABFRA ......A Boldog Feltámadás Idejének Reménye Alatt....."In the hope of the time of joyous resurrection. ” SZ........született........born MH.......meghalt.........died BLPF or BP or BH.....Béke Lengjen Porai Felett or Béke Poraira or Béke Hamvaira. ...”Peace to his ashes. ” In many cases, grave-signs are supplemented with further information about the deceased or the circumstances of his death. Often, the decorated grave-sign is carried in front of the coffin to the grave and then placed on the grave itself. Death at an age before marriage is considered to be an exceptionally great loss. According to belief, the souls of those who depart too soon cannot rest in their graves because they were unable to fulfill their function of getting married and of the deceased and care for the grave. Fallen grave-posts are generally buried in the grave, and those unclaimed are often gathered by the needy and used as firewood, although this activity is highly disproved of. As the peasants take on more middle-class customs, wooden grave-signs in village cemeteries are gradually being replaced by tombstones. What all this means to me personally is that I’ve gained an appreciation for the Calvinist cemetery, not only to what it means historically but for its value in preserving folk art, customs and a culture that venerates the deceased. Ironically, now I’m the one who asks my husband to accompany me to the cemeteries to photograph the tombstones and grave-posts but mostly to copy the epitaphs so he can translate them for me. A life’s story or the deceased’s wishes written on a grave-post is by far richer than a legacy that only dates one’s birth and death. “Temetőbe van egy gyászos fejfa, Jó szüleim gyertek ki hozzája Hű, lány okok fekszik mély álomban csendességbe örök nyugalomba, Itt nyugszik, Szór Margi, Élt 18 évet M. 1938, November 28/ Béke Poraira.” “There is a sorrowful grave-post in the graveyard. My good parents, come and see it. Beneath it rests your devoted daughter in deep slumber, peace in eternal rest.” “Here lies Margi Szor, lived 18 years, died 28 November, 1938, Peace be to her ashes.” Sign found in Tornakápolna inscriptions and the poetry of grave-signs has developed into a specific genre. Often the writers of epitaphs are not the relatives of the deceased and not the makers of the grave- signs but rather ministers, cantors, clerks, teachers, village notaries or peasants who use language and rhyming well. This accounts for the often pompous phrasing on some of them who want to imitate the grave-posts found in more urban areas. However, the inscriptions always contain the name or initials of the deceased and the date of death. It is also common to use supplementary data referring to the personality of the deceased and connoting to the sorrow his family feels. The text opens with the same format throughout Hungary: “Here lies......” and closes with the words, “May he rest in peace” or “Peace to be his/her ashes”. Abbreviations are frequent and oftentimes, rows of capital letters are used for ornamentation. Even I now know the following abbreviations: having a family. Sometimes, a girl may be buried in her bridal outfit and the man dressed as a bridegroom, so the funeral procession is reminiscent of the wedding procession that will never occur and thus, there may be singing and dancing at the burial feast as the symbols of a wedding ceremonial become interwoven with the funeral ceremony of the young. Since grave-posts are directly exposed to weather and the methods for preservation are primitive, they deteriorate sooner than other wooden objects. The inscription becomes illegible in eight to fifteen years, the lower part sinks into the ground and deteriorates in about thirty to sixty years, but when it is sawn off and newly placed into the ground, the grave-post can stand for twenty to forty more years. Finally, after sixty to ninety years, the grave-post collapses. Thus, grave- signs usually stand in the cemetery as long as relatives and descendants honor the memory References: Kunt, Ernő, FOLK ART IN HUNGARIAN CEMETERIES, Corvina Kiadó. 1983, Kossuth Printing House, Budapest, Hungary HRFA Testvériség Program You can help Hungarian-American causes grow with the HRFA and the Testvériség (Fraternity) Program. Check out the details online at our new site. WWW.HRtt.ORG Click on the Testvériség Program at the bottom of le Home page. 22 FALL 2009 I FRATERNITY - TESTVÉRISÉG
