The study introduces the actual situation of national literature and historical traditions of Hungarians living in Slovakia that entered into a new home after 1918. The author states that the conservative understanding of tradition was the most comprehensive and the most active, although it came many times with dilettantism. The conception of tradition of Hungarian activist groups that closely co-operated with the Czechoslovak governments was on the level of citizens progressive, but it had no social basis and was a surrender of the powers. The conception of the tradition of the left-side (communistic) press was influenced by prolet-cult and rappism, and acknowledged only revolutionary traditions. Later the author introduces the development of the conception of tradition of Zoltán Fábry. continue reading →
This paper focuses on the importance of the establishment and operation of J. Selye University and its image created by local online media based in Komárno and surroundings. We also examine what asymmetries arise between media products and verifiable, realistic cultural factors. First we present the methodological basis of the research. Further we refer to the phenomenon of the town and the university, in the broader context of the university´s establishment. In the next section we introduce the examined media and show their archives. Finally, we try to characterize the university´s image created by the online media edited in Komárno. continue reading →
The relocated interviewees from Bratislava to Upper Rye Island and to Rajka and its vicinity are typical representatives of desurbanization; in the sense that they traded their urban home for better living conditions and a calmer, less stimulating environment. In their new home, almost all have made their dreams come true: they have their own home, in most cases their own house, which they consider their home in the emotional sense of the word. At the same time, it is also typical that their workplace is located in the capital, where they commute daily or at least several times per week. What is less typical, however, is the fact that many of them report the property close to their work as their permanent address, their actual home being listed as their temporary living place. In other regions in Slovakia the reverse is mostly true. If we were to stick to the strict definition of migrants, which labels persons who permanently settle in a different location, then we could not consider part of the interviewees as migrants, only commuters. It is a fact that thanks to the migrant entrepreneurs there could be more money flowing to the settlements accounts, yet... continue reading →
After the demarcation of the Trianon borders, smuggling became widespread in the 1920s and 1930s and it was noticeable until the late 1950s. Many of those living near the borders took part in this illegal activity, most actively along the Ipoly (Ipeľ) river, in the Bodrogköz (Pobodrožie) region, or in Gömör (Gemer) and Nógrád (Novohrad), for example. The study focuses on the latter two areas. Historical and ethnographic writings on the subject have been written in the past, which summarize its essential parts well. Knowing these, we also undertake to reveal further details and background information about the smuggling, which we underpin with a review of the contemporary press material, archival research and on-site collections. continue reading →
Minority issue did not play any role in the 1956 revolution, although the revolution was an important event in the life of minorities living in Hungary. The study from one hand collects those events in which people of some minority took place and whose affiliation to the certain national minority group is recorded in documents, from the other hand the study takes into consideration those movements of which specific national minority requirements were in connection with the revolution. The most part of these requirements (mainly in the circles of Serbians, Horvats, and Slovenians and Romanians called „south-Slavs“ was oriented on restraining assimilation and on creation of communal self-determination, but there were examples that some village occupants protested against classifying them as minorities, and requested to stop the obstacles of assimilation. In Hungary the minorities on local level defined generally citizenship requirement: joined the revolution. Although the intelligentsia elite of the south-Slavs and Romanians came forward with specifically nationality, but strongly different requirements. Their similarity was that both the south-Slavic and the Romanian efforts aimed at the restrain of assimilation, but their attitude to the mother country was different. The Slovak papers on local level defined specific efforts. We have... continue reading →
This study examines the ethnic changes of Késmárk (Kežmarok, Käsmark) during the Period of Dualism. In the course of my research, I tried to map the operation and contemporary situation of the town in a complex way. The extremely voluminous source material did not allow me to present Késmárk from all aspects, therefore the present study details only about the nationalization of the space under Dualism, the local historical society, local schools, and the state of community norms. The study also includes a career of an intellectual, his professional adaptation—assimilation. The limited amount of personal resources is intended to present the adaptation of perhaps a typical Zipser German intellectual to the prevailing circumstances and conditions at all times. continue reading →
The topic of the thesis is the fundamental issues of Street music in city environment. The author surveyed the activities of Street musicians performing inthe streets of two big cities – Bratislava and Budapest in 2001and 2002. From the viewpoint of the fundamental problems of research, the thesiscan be divided intő two parts. The first part was based on interviews conducted with the Street musicians and attempts to establish the reasons of theirperforming in the streets. The goal in the second part was to establish howcity authorities regulate Street music in both cities. In Budapest and Bratislava the author talked to 5 and 13 Street musicians,respectively. The interviews with the musicians indicated, that their most significant reason for performing in the streets is the possibility of making money.In Budapest, there was only one musician amongthe interviewed, who claimedto perform in the streets not exclusively because of money. His reasons included alsó his opinion, that people passing-by might become fond of classicalmusic due to his performance in the streets. In Bratislava the author found only two artists, for which the money was not the primary reason for their performing in the streets – first being a pavement artist occasionally playing theaccordion;... continue reading →
The paper presents the short history of the spa in Ajnácskő: the beginnings, its short operation and closure. The spa – property of baron Gábor Kemény – stood on a swampy, marshy area in the valley of the Gortva creek, in the southern corner of Gemer. Its most prosperous period was in the first decades of conciliation. Paradoxically, by the time when other spas of Gemer begun to have their heyday around the turn of the century, the spa of Ajnácskő, known for its spring water rich in minerals, went bankrupt. In this paper we learn about the healing power of the famous but never bottled mineral water, present the services offered by the spa and, with the help of the contemporary press and letters, we recall life at the spa and the entertainment options offered by the resort. Éva Kerényi 615.838(437.6)(091) Ajnácskő – The Spa of Mr. Minister 711.455: 615.838(437.6)(091) Keywords: Gömör (Gemer), Ajnácskő (Hajnáčka), balneology, baron Gábor Kemény, mineral water. continue reading →
Amazing Holy Trinity… Inscriptions on small sacral relics from the Little Hungarian Plain (Kisaföld) in the light of the Holy Trinity relics The study analyses the inscriptions of a type group of small sacral relics showing Holy Trinity, typical for the region of the Little Hungarian Plane (Kisalföld), currently South-West Slovakia. The phenomenon has been examined from the formal point of view and content, with the result that the 74 inscriptions written in Hungarian, Slovak and Latin on the Holy Trinity sculptures in the region in both aspects harmonize with other texts of small sacral relics in the given environment. continue reading →
The image of a dry branch which has miraculously blossomed is widely known in the Eurasian culture and it has a significance of indicating the future and usually is a sign of being chosen. We can meet this motif in many places such as Aaron´s rod in the Old Testament of the Bible, the sign of Joseph chosen by Mary, and also in the text folklore stories of the New Age (e.g. the origin explaining legend of the Přemyslid Dynasty, or the blooming crop of King Matthias indicating that he is chosen etc.). The custom of matrimonial divination known among the peoples of Central Europe, based on a ritual of putting a dry cherry branch into water on Katalin´s Name Day (25 November), and if it would produce flowers by Christmas, the young girl practicing the ritual was going to get married the next year, formally undoubtedly belongs to the same imagery. Only further in-depth researches can give an answer to the question that, apart from the formal similarity, what specific connection there is between the biblical story, the later text folklore and the rituals of matrimonial divination documented even later. The present study is intended to only raise... continue reading →
