The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1987 (14. évfolyam, 1-8. szám)

1987-05-01 / 5-6. szám

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St. Margaret Church

For a time, the Hungarians kept their cultural indentity. Hungarian language was spoken at home and at their gatherings. Magyar married Magyar. In 1923. under the direction of Rev. Sándor Bartus, the pastor of the Reformed Congregation, a Hungarian Community Hall was built for meetings. Hungarian plays and motion pictures. Both churches tried to keep the old customs, prayed and sang in their mother tongue. Rev. Bartus regularly conducted a two month Hungarian School in April and May. He taught the Magyar language and history of the Magyar Nation. Rev. Bartus tended to the spiritual needs of Reformed and Catholics alike, for St. Margaret had mostly English speaking pastors. St. Margaret's Hall has served as a gathering place for the Hungarian Community since the old Community Hall was wrecked by Hurricane Betsy.

Rev. Bartus was born in 1892, in Tiszdob, Szabolcs Megye (County), Hungary. He came to the United States in 1901 with his family. They lived in Ohio for a year, then the family moved to Arpádhon. After he finished his schooling in Louisiana, he attended Bloomfield College and Seminary in New Jersey. After serving as assistant pastor at Aurora and Chicago West Side (Illinois) Hungarian Reformed Churches for a short period, he returned to Arpadhon, where he served his people for over half a century until his death at the age of 85. in 1977.

As the old settlers have died, interest in the motherland has fallen by the wayside. Arpádhon, now a part of Albany, and

the surrounding farms are no longer predominantly Hungarian. At most, their Hungarian population reached close to 500. The language is all but extinct and the young Hungarians only occasionally marry other Hungarians. Perhaps, the best still remains: the close-knit Magyar family, that takes pride in hard work, honesty and open-hand friendliness. The October Harvest Dance and the Hungarian picnics, with the exotic dishes of Kolbász, Hurka, Toltott Káposzta and mouthwatering pastries takes one back to the past, for the end of Harvest is time for feasting and dancing. In keeping with this tradition, each year since the founding of Arpádhon, the young people dress in their traditional Hungarian costumes and dance the Csárdás, Mazurkas, Polkas and Waltzes to the ageless melody of Hungarian violin music under rafters hung with fruit.

This Hungarian Settlement underwent something of a revival during the Bicentennial. After the death of Rev. Bartus. the community realized that they were losing touch with both their cultural heritage and the language of their parents and decided that the only way to conserve them was through their children. At first, members of the community tried to teach the songs and language themselves, but soon realized that they needed qualified teachers. Their wish came true by the effort of Mrs. Gisele Friedrichs, who left Hungary after the 1956 revolution, a foreign language teacher In the East Baton Rouge School System. She was instrumental in bringing the Hungarian language course to Albany Elementary School.

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