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Investigation of folk traditions, crafts – preservation of cultural values at the Folk Art Association of Hajdú-Bihar County
9-19Views:60The mission of the Folk Art Association of Hajdú-Bihar County (the Association) is to represent the profession and the interest of contemporary folk art artists, investigate, present and develop the values of folk art crafts. Among the systematic programmes of the Association, there are research programmes, collecting materials in museums and on site, creative camps, professional further training programmes, exhibitions, organisation of regional and national conferences. Among the priority programmes of the Association, the International Pottery Festival and the Handicraft Festival of Debrecen are representative. Regarding creative houses and folk art craft workshops, artists of the Association work in the “Tímárház” studio in Debrecen and maintain workshop galleries (in the towns of Nádudvar, Hajdúszoboszló, Hajdúnánás and Balmazújváros). Of the main research projects of the Association, the following are particular focal points:
- The Association began to revive the traditions of the almost extinct “Debrecen style” pottery nearly two decades ago. As a result, nowadays eight potters are engaged in the modern interpretation of the pottery traditions of Debrecen in the town and county.
- Renewing and reviving the “cifraszűr” (embroidered felt-cloak) and clothes made by felt application technique.
- Exploring and re-teaching the traditions of “Debrecen style” wood goldsmith craft.
Our present study focuses on our ongoing research projects, results achieved so far and further plans, ways of further investigation of the above mentioned three areas.
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Corruption as a concomitant phenomenon of the lack of democratic traditions or thoughts on the margin of failure of the democratic experiment in 1945
15-26Views:58For decades, there has been an open debate among historians about whether there was democracy in our country in 1945, and if so, what those few transition years were like, and what caused the failure of democracy. The study, – instead of the democratic state of the electoral system, the rule of law, respect for freedoms, self-government and civil society organization, – attempts to highlight the presence or absence of democratic traditions, which is generally less attended to, but undoubtedly was also part of the failure of the democratic experiment in 1945. Perhaps surprising, but the political and moral traditions of a society determine the chances for the development and survival of a democracy. In a corrupt, morally inferior society, it is more difficult to establish and operate democracy. Thus, democracy is guaranteed not only by the appearance of institutions and elections, but also by the thinking of the people living in it and by the norms that determine their behavior. The study illustrates the peculiarity of Hungary with examples mostly from Szolnok that in the 20th century the interchanging systems were struggling with a serious deficit of democracy, and therefore no democratic traditions could be formed in the society, and in 1945 they could not go back to such antecedents. Therefore, after 1945, Hungarian society appears as corrupt as it did before 1945. Corruption has affected not only politicians but also those at lower levels of society and has engulfed society as a whole. Thus, in order to consolidate democracy, it will not be enough in the future to replace politicians and reform institutions, but the society as a whole must change too, especially in its way of thinking and behavior.
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The pressure of generational change on the successors in the family farms in Karcag
69-81Views:139Family farms have an important role in agriculture. It is a form of farming where the family can keep the acquired competence and wealth of the farm for several generations.Therefore the issue of generational change is becoming more and more important nowadays. However, generational changing can face a number of obstacles. One of the major obstacles to farm transfer can be if the family farm does not have a successor, who could carry on the family traditions. In practice, the State and the European Union too try to encourage young farmers to continue agricultural activity, but this is not too popular. In our survey, we were looking for the answer to how much psychological pressure there is on successors to take over their family farm, and how much this pressure depends on the size of the farm and the generation of successors. We conducted the questionnaire survey with family farms in Karcag where the issue of succession is actual. The results of the study based on the responses of the farmers surveyed, show that the successors do not feel the pressure of taking over the farm, but are rather proud to be able to continue on their family traditions.
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The place and role of Debrecen style honey cake at the the Folk Art Association of Hajdú - Bihar county
82-96Views:77Debrecen style honey cake making has been registered in 2014 in the collection of Hungarian values of Debrecen and Hajdú - Bihar county. Thus it is worth and reasonable to study the roots and history of honey cake making and especially Debrecen style honey cake making, as well as the future perspectives of the profession. The evolution process of honey cake as a traditional open air market product to its many current forms was long and exciting. Operation of the National Value Pyramid, history of honey cake making was investigated and honey cake makers working in Debrecen and Hajdú - Bihar County are introduced in the present paper. The efforts of the Folk Art Association of Hajdú - Bihar County have been summarised, including how it promotes the honey cake - with its thousand year tradition - to remain a popular product and how it supports its members. While innovation is always a key issue for professionals, ensuring that this product is made of (traditional) healthy ingredients stays popular are the foci of Hungarian honey cake makers.
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The situation of pálinka in Hungary. Problems and opportunities
75-87Views:190Distillation has centuries-old traditions in Hungary. A brief international outlook will also present the private distillation practices of the surrounding countries. Pálinka is a Hungaricum product produced by exclusively in commercial distilleries. In our country it is possible to make in subcontractdistilleries or at home, however, the product made in this way can only be called distillate and cannot be marketed. Over the last ten years, the legal framework governing the production of pálinka has changed very often, affecting the operators in the sector in different ways. Statistical information on each type of distilling will be presented, with special emphasis on the tax exemption period. Using known data from subcontract distilling, it was found that a HUF 52.1 billion deficit arose from the abolition of excise duty. The 0% excise tax resulted in a boom in subcontract distillation, with a neutral, partly negative effect on commercial distilling. The number of home distillers started to grow extraordinarily, and after the tax was restored, about 50,000 to 70,000 people disappeared from the ranks of subcontractors. Based on secondary sources, I have identified problems in the sector that need to be resolved. Furthermore, I outline the opportunities that are available but are not being used enough.
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System Changes and Their Effects on the Society in Szabolcs-SzatmárBereg Country in the last one and a half centuries (part 1)
6-15Views:60Starting from the mid-19th century numerous changes can be classified as systemic changes or shifts. The change of the landscape has shaped the ways lands were tilled and also caused changes in the economical structures. Then the Treaty of Trianon triggered ethnical, political, administrative and cultural changes with the new borders. The key issues of the most recent system change in 1989 the mobility of the society (and what threatens it) the survival of local traditions (and whether they are still followed) and the effects of being a border region of Hungary and the EU. The peripherical situation of the region threatens with lagging. This is threat is strengthened by the regions ethnical and social situation worsened by the decline of the educational system. Self-government is also severely damaged by the loss of local control over public bodies. Paradoxically enough, despite all system changes the life of local people improved only moderately and the region is still among the nation’s most vulnerable ones.
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From the „just for the naked public good” drink to the Hungaricum; the faith of the pálinka
29-40Views:91The study is show the way how the pálinka became a national treasure. Going out to the traditions of distillation, showing the over-centuries-old, not always glorious past of the drink. As a result after the regime change the culture of pálinka consumption is changed as well. While previously only regarded as peasants' morning drink, today's premium product has been upgraded thanks to the Pálinka Act and many other factors. From 2014 onwards, every year, under the Excellence Program, the most excellent spirits are valued as "Country Tasting". Regarding the beginning of distillation, the opinions differ significantly, however, regarding the preparation of concentrated beverages, we can speak about a thousand years of tradition. It is interesting to follow that - while the alcoholists were condemned in the 19th century, and the pálinka was called "just for the naked public good" drink - how it gained recognition and increased to “Hungaricum” rank.
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Questionnaire analysis of the situation of the artisans of the Debrecen Folk Crafts Festival in 2021
67-78Views:60Debrecen Folk Craft Festival faithfully preserves the cultural, social and economic traditions of Debrecen. As a tourist event, the festival provides an opportunity to learn about the centuries-old folk crafts, the artisans, their tools and their products. The traditional fair character of the event is given by the street stalls and the possibility to buy the products. The fair is part of Debrecen's history (it has had the right to hold fairs since the early 1400s), which has given a strong impetus to its economic development. The town's geographical and social characteristics made it a market centre. On the one hand, it was built at the junction of land routes and, on the other, it was owned by lords of national rank who helped to create a farming town and a local society of artisan-traders. In Debrecen, handicraft and trade fair past is still preserved in street names such as Külsővásártér, Mester street, Faraktár street, Csapó street, which is also the venue of the 11th Folk Craft Festival. The aim of the research is to investigate the extent to which Debrecen Folk Craft Festival is a Debrecen event, as well as the composition of the local artisans still operating (craft, age, gender, experience), their business strengths and weaknesses, and their presence on the internet. This representative quantitative survey was carried out with 23 representatives of 15 crafts (leatherworkers, potters, beadworkers, embroiderers, straw weavers, enamelers, furniture makers, woodcarvers, textile toy makers, honeycake makers, etc.) using a self-completion questionnaire. The survey is representative as all participants completed the questionnaire. Since folk crafts are part of the Debrecen identity, and the local culture, their survival is in the interest of the city. The survey covered the forms of their businesses, their sales opportunities, their financial background, etc. The structure of the paper: Introduction presents the festival itself, Material and Methodology, Results and Conclusions chapters describe the questionnaire survey’s results. Conclusions of the research: the cultural and social impact of the Folk Craft Festival is significant, especially through the promotion of folk art heritage, community organisation and its impact on consumer habits. There is still a wide variety of folk crafts in Debrecen, but the masters of some folk crafts are ageing. Traditionally, these one-man businesses still prefer to sell at fairs, because they are weak in marketing and advertising, and nearly a third of them have online presence on the association's website only. Their strength is their expertise, with 40, 50 or even 60 years of experience. The majority of products are qualified by the Hungarian Heritage House, which protects the masters from having their products copied and mass-produced by others.
