Transdanubia

In the centre of the rather more hilly than mountainous terrain of Transdanubia (the Dunántúl) lies the largest lake in Hungary, the 70 km long Balaton. This is the area, once known as Pannonia, where certain Celtic–Roman traditions exist in folk culture, absorbed by the Hungarians into their culture in the same way as they absorbed certain Croatian–Slovakian and, in the western areas, German elements. The latter was also made possible by the fact that environmentally some of this area belonged to the Alps, the effects of which can be similarly shown in agriculture and building style.

Göcsej occupies a significant territory in the south-western comer of the country. This is a rolling, hilly region, which is difficult to cultivate. The main occupation of the population is animal husbandry and agriculture, including the growing of buckwheat and vines. Parts of the villages are settled on cleared woodlands, and these groups of houses are called szeg, which appears in village names such as Kustánszeg. In the past the families did not disperse, but lived on one lot or near each other in the typical form of a joint family. It can happen that the house and the farm buildings surround a small sized, U-shaped yard, which is closed off in front by a fence and a gate. These fenced houses disappeared only in the recent past. The custom of minstrelsy, which preserves pagan elements connected with the Christmas holiday cycle, survives until the present. In the 18 villages of the neighbouring Hetés, lying south-west of Göcsej, in a comparable environment, a similar culture developed.

The lower section of the Őrség comprises the 18 villages in the valley of the Zala and Kerka rivers. Its inhabitants, as the name shows (őrség–guards), are the descendants of the medieval border guards. They settled in the forest and formed a szer (kinship group) by families, {37.} which grew into smaller villages, but in many places they have preserved their characteristics until today. Some of these small settlements are called after the name of the family, e. g. Kovács-szer, Szabó-szer. In the past animal husbandry characteristic of the Alpine region was the basis of their existence, as in the poor soil grain seeds gave very meagre returns for their labour. The scattered settlements amidst ploughed fields, orchards, and grazing land lend a special charm to this region. In the Austrian Burgenland, in the valley of the Pinka, hide the few Hungarian villages of the Felsőőrség (Felsőőr, Alsóőr, Őrisziget, Jobbágyi), which were the westernmost settlements of the Hungarians who defended the borders against attacks coming from the west during the Middle Ages. This group has preserved much tradition in its language and customs, but in its culture German influences prevail.

The people of the Hanság lived in a swampy, boggy area. Their main occupations, beside animal husbandry, were fishing, hunting, the processing of reeds and bulrushes as a cottage industry, and peat cutting. During the second half of the last century large parts of the swamps were drained and in their place a flourishing agriculture developed. The last remnants of the swamps have recently been drained.

The people of the Rábaköz live in the villages of the flat land between the Rába and Rábca rivers. The typical central market town of the area is Kapuvár, which may mark, as indicated by its name, the site of gate (kapu–gate, vár–castle) of the defence system that stretched through here. Many animals and much produce changed hands at its famous markets. It differs from neighbouring regions in its building style, its special white embroidery, and the rich folk costume of some of its villages.

On the right bank of the Rába run two mountain ranges: one is the Kemeneshát, and to the north of it rises the Sokoró. The former customs and costumes of the people of Kemenesalja and Sokoróalja are different from those of their neighbours, and they proudly display these features even today.

The people of Szigetköz live on the closed island between the Great Danube and the Mosoni Danube. They keep many animals on their irrigated pastures and meadows, which provide the means of existence of the population. The water played a determining role in their life, for while it devastated much, it also fertilized the meadows.

Here we cross the Danube and find one of the largest Hungarian ethnic groups in Slovakia, the people of Csallóköz. In the past they called this region Aranykert (the Garden of Gold), because they used to wash gold out of the sands of the Danube. The innumerable stagnant and flowing waters of the Danube outline the borders of the villages, offering a means of existence to fishermen and husbandmen, whilst often ruining the work of the peasants. In the past, part of the population, especially in Komárom and its vicinity, engaged in shipping. The galleys loaded with grain travelled all the way to the Black Sea. During the Turkish rule they got even as far as Istanbul, and they also shipped fish to Vienna.

North and north-east of the Csallóköz we find Mátyusföld, named after an all-powerful landlord of the 14th century, Máté Csák. The folklore traditions of this region are flourishing even today, and its {38.} children’s games are especially well known. Even farther north live the Hungarians of the Zobor region, who constitute the most northerly contiguous settlements of Hungarians. They have therefore preserved many archaic characteristics, the most familiar of which occur in the customs, folksongs and ballads.

Now we return to the right bank of the Danube, where, proceeding to the south, the Bakony Mountains rise, with small settlements hiding in the valleys. A good proportion of the villages have been inhabited since the time of Árpád. The people’s life, especially in the past, was determined by the forest. The pigherds of the Bakony are already mentioned in documents dating from the 13th century. They were, like all peoples living in the forest, masters of woodcarving. They made tools for agricultural and home use in such quantities that they travelled to distant markets with them. With the shrinking of the forest, agriculture more and more eclipsed both husbandry and woodworking.

9. Rural buildings
Szigliget, Veszprém County

10. A cellar built of logs
Csurgó–Nagymarton, Somogy County

The densely populated villages of the Balaton Highlands stretch all the {39.} way down to the lake shore. On the volcanic soil of the hillsides of the region, with its Mediterranean-like climate, excellent vines grow, and fishing assures the livelihood of a significant portion of the population. The stone buildings of the villages, with their historic-style porticos, spread over a large area.

We arrive, after crossing the Balaton, to Somogy (Somogy “country”), the part toward the Balaton called Outer Somogy; the part toward the Dráva, Inner Somogy. In general, the earlier life style of the population was determined by animal husbandry. The feeding of swine on mast, the use of the forest, and the processing of wood gave way to agriculture with the shrinking of the forest area. In Zselicség which lies south of Kaposvár, the most beautiful objects were carved by swineherds. The rich and varied folk costumes of the region, its white and colourful embroidery, are known far and wide. The peasant towns, occupied with agriculture, rose to middle-class standards relatively early.

In the south-western corner of Baranya County, between the Dráva and Okor rivers, we find the settlements of the Ormánság. This was a wet, swampy area at one time, with ridges of land rising out of it only here and there. This is where its name comes from (ormán–a protrusion).

{40.} Because of the danger from floods, the people built their houses on huge beams, wove the walls from wicker, and plastered these with mud. They engaged in fishing, animal husbandry and increasingly in agriculture. They fed their swine on mast in the forest, and pastured their famous herds of horses in the meadows. It is worth mentioning that one of their occupation in the 18th and 19th centuries, the making of potash, led to the destruction of the forest. Their characteristic costumes suggest South Slavic influence, and the use of white for mourning was long preserved here. The prosperous peasantry, which rapidly rose into the middle-class, tried to prevent its property from being broken up by having only one-child families.

11. A dwelling in the vineyard
Nagykutas, Zala County

The Hungarian villages of the Drávaszög are located in the corner of Transdanubia, which is now part of Yugoslavia, whilst the four Hungarian villages of Slavonia, Kórógy, Szentlászló, Haraszti and Eszék, are south of the Dráva river. They occupy island-like positions in the South Slav environment and their inhabitants intermarry with each other; earlier they also kept marital contacts with Baranya County. They {41.} fished, hunted, and lived from husbandry in the past. Agriculture gained ground during the last century. They are differentiated from the villages that settled north of them by their archaic costume, language, and folk poetry.

The extent of the Sárköz, near the Danube in Tolna County, is difficult to determine. Five villages form its core (Őcsény, Decs, Sárpilis, Alsónyék, Báta), but certain elements of its culture can be found in Baranya or even in Slavonia. Some villages join it on the left bank of the Danube (Érsekcsanád, Szeremle). After the regulation of the waterways in the 19th century, agriculture came to replace exploitation of the resources of the river. The effects of the great local tradition of homespun, of embroidery of white sewn on a black background, and colourful, rich folk costumes which flourished in the prosperity of the second half of the last century, and also of its folklore traditions, can be found on neighbouring groups.

Among the numerous smaller or larger ethnic groups of Transdanubia, Mezőföld also deserves mention. It lies mostly on flat lands south of Lake Velence, between the Sárvíz, then the Sió and the Danube. The inhabitants of its large villages were early to follow urban culture, whilst the labourers of the former large estates developed a particular, individualistic culture, rich in folklore traditions.