William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2011-04-01 / 4. szám
Tibor s Take □ third of the hard-boiled egg in red dye and the opposite third in green dye. When completed, the egg kind of looks like a miniature Hungarian flag. Endre II usually draws a cimbalom on his egg in honor of his namesake and nagypapa, Endre Cseh. On Holy Saturday, we have our basket blessed at St. Stephen's in Y-Town. Right before we begin our trek to church, my mom brings out of storage the cloth that covers the basket. The cloth itself was given to my mom by my dear, departed Aunt Jenny. The cloth was an heirloom gift for my parents' wedding. The shroud itself was brought to America from Hungary in 1969, when my Aunt Genevieve went on a WPA-sponsored tour. Our family usually splits itself into two groups for our Holy Saturday rituals: my dad, mom and sis take the basket to church to be blessed while my brother and I broadcast the Hungarian Radio Show. (Unfortunately, our program and the blessing take place at the same time.) We re-delegate these duties every year so that none of us have to keep the same assignment each year. As a matter of tradition, the blessed food is put into the refrigerator and is only consumed by the family after sunrise services on Easter. Although my siblings and I are way past the Easter Bunny age, my mom still makes each of us a basket filled with goodies. If weather permits, she still hides outside Did you know they're Hungarian? Many of you know this famous actor as either Captain Kirk of “Star Trek,” as television policeman T.J. Hooker, as a high profile attorney on “Boston Legal” or most recently as a pitchman for the internet travel agency, Priceline.com. But, did you know William Shatner’s ancestors were Hungarian? Shatner was born in Montreal, Canada, on March 22, 1931. Out of Shatner’s four grandparents, one of his forbearers hailed from Hungary and another was a Hungarian that lived in the Ukraine (Ruthenia). As for identifying Shatner with his rather prominent Hungarian pedigree, a quote from WPA Branch 28 Secretary Kathy Novak sums it up best: “William Shatner has Magyar grandparents. That explains a lot!” dozens of hollow plastic eggs filled with money or hand written prize vouchers/coupons. A keen eye and speed gets you more eggs. I remember in our younger days, I would always find more eggs than my siblings. My anyám would then secretly tell my brother and sister the special hiding places as to level the egg-finding playing field. A portion of Easter Sunday afternoon is spent driving to cemeteries visiting our loved ones and leaving them palm crosses my siblings and I had made. At each grave site, we say a short silent prayer, then my father plays a lively czardas on our car's CD player. "Our ancestors buried below are listening," he says. Easter Monday and Tuesday start early with locsoló. On Monday, we sprinkle perfume on my mom and sis. The next morning, the favor is returned as my apa, Endre and I receive a spritzing of cologne. About two weeks before Easter, my mother delegates one of us to go to the nearby forest to cut down and retrieve a small tree, about three feet tall with lots of branches. We set the sapling into a large earthenware vase and anchor the tree's trunk down with small pieces of gravel. We then decorate the tree with hand-painted Hungarian Easter eggs, pastel-colored lights and various articles given to us as youngsters by my mom and Nagymama Check. It was not until last year that I learned this tradition was actually started by my Grandma Cseh and Aunt Jean Kessler of Antigo, Wise., during the waning years of the 1960's. Although this home-brewed family custom is not steeped in Hungarian history, it's purpose and symbolism are of pure love and joy for the season. I hope you enjoy your very own Magyar/American Húsvét traditions. As I mentioned last month: You have to I Boldog Húsvéti Ünnepeket! Tibor II Tibor Check Jr. is a member of Branch 28 Youngstown, Ohio, and a student at Cleveland State University. He serves as host of the “Souvenirs of Hungary” weekly radio show broadcast on WKTL-90.7 FM in Struthers, Ohio. Let's hear your take Let me know how you enjoy my thoughts and views on growing up Hungarian Style- If you have any questions or comments about me or my column, please email me at: SilverKingl937@yahoo.com, or drop me a letter in care of the William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. William Penn Life 0 April 2011 0 9
