BOLDOG KARACSONYO UNNEPEKETI

ONE OF MY CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Like many Americans of Hungarian ancestry, I also have Slovak and Germans in Hungary relatives.

One of my Aunts was of Slovak heritage.  We used to stop by her house to visit during the holidays, if only for a couple hours, as we had so very many relations to visit.  Under her tree was a statue.  It was Santa Claus, in red suit, hat in hand, as he knelt down to visit the newborn Jesus.  My aunt had it there to remind her children that Jesus was more important than Santa Claus.

WINTER WONDERLAND - U.S. NAVY BAND

DEER

KRAMPUS IS COMMING TO GET YOU!

One of my Hungarian aunts told me that one  year her sons were so bad that Santa Claus came and took the toys back...but maybe it was Krampus who snuck into the closet and took them away?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

BECOMING SANTA : MAGYAR AMERICAN FILM REVIEW

How does Santa get all his work done?  This is a documentary film about the process that some people, mostly men, go through to properly represent Santa.  It includes an ongoing interview of a graduate of a special Santa Claus School, where the students are told that to children of a certain age, the excitement of meeting Santa is like a fan meeting a rock star.  There they learn the best way to fulfill the role. Such as, not making promises they canot keep. And yes there are conventions for full bearded men to compare notes.

Meanwhile, there's a look back to the development of Santa Claus.  Did he always wear a red, white fur trimmed coat?  Was he always fat and jolly?  Was it a Coke-a-Cola ad that introduced us to the man we expect down our chimney with toys?

The history of Santa Claus goes back to Saint Nicholas, born rich, who gave much of his fortune away to people who needed the extra help. In the United States, Santa is a hit by the Civil War era when he makes the Harpers Magazine cover and is suggested to be on the side of the Union. This is a black and white etched look figure, not so fat.  In Austria and other European Countries, his visits coincide with the visit of a darker character, a mean, even evil character who can punish children for bad behavior.

Are you ready to take your holiday decorations out of the attic and start to deck the halls?  Watch this one before you begin, while you have some hot chocolate and grilled cheese, and take your ornaments out of the tissue paper.  Santa's sincerity will grab your heart and maybe even bring a little tear to your eye. 

I'M THANKFUL FOR...

My dog, who is sleeping at my feet at the moment.





The surprise $100 that a Minister gave me from a Deacon's Fund due to an emergency.


And that I'm going to see some relatives that I haven't seen in 18 years, a whole generation grown up without my being part of that, but, I look forward to it.




We told my dog that she's going to have a whole lot more people loving her and that she will get to see the ocean.

WHITE GOD : MAGYAR AMERICAN HUNGARIAN FILM REVIEW

Called "Stunning" and "Masterful" by critics quoted on the back of the DVD box, at the end of this film I had to agree! This one will take all dog lovers on a twisting turning emotional rollercoaster, for you will meet some very unkind and unsympathetic Hungarian characters in this film, making you wonder "is that how it is in Hungary?" and it will tweak your animal activism no doubt. 

Is it true that in Hungary a dog is not respected for being a mixed breed street dog and that people only want pure breeds?

After you see the dog star of the film "Luke and Body" evade the unfeeling animal catchers, endure terrible conditions at the Hungarian equivalent of a "shelter," and be sold to a brutalizer who turns him into a killer for sport, you will be cheering when he leads the pack out of the place, then they rampage in revenge.  You'll also be wondering, "Who trained all those dog actors to maraud?  And what about that scene where the one dog delights in ripping up a brief case? (I laughed!)

Lots of violence here and without apology.  You'll be reminded that packs of dogs have been known to attack humans.  But what of the preteen who loved him and searched for him and never wanted to give him up?  I won't spoil the ending for you, but let's say that she has her moment with the dogs and we can only hope that they all get away!

Race out and borrow, rent, or buy this film!

Then, make a donation to an animal shelter.

C 2017 All Rights Reserved  Magyar-American BlogSpot

To read other film reviews on this blog, click on the label FILM REVIEW!

KEREPESCI CEMETERY BUDAPEST

So interesting to see so many grieving figures in the sculptures.

ALL SOULS - ALL SAINTS

HUNGARIAN TRADITIONAL FOLK "COSTUMES"

WALKING IN HUNGARY : MAGYAR AMERICAN BOOK REVIEW

Downloaded this one as an e-book gratis my public library and an app called Overdrive.  Have you ever wanted to walk where the roads don't go? Pictures throughout, one gets the feel of the Hungarian rolling countryside, ruins, and other geographical and historical features you may want to see the slow way. A lovely book with insider tips such as how trails are marked and which bus lines are best to a particular location. Of particular interest to me the Hungarian "highlands" and Castle Fuzer.

BIODIVERSITY LIBRARY - GRAPES

TRYING TO BUY A GOOD WHEELED DOG CARRIER! TRYING!

If you're wondering where I've been (while hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires rage) well, I've been shopping for a decent, roomy, well made, wheeled dog carrier for my beloved

She started showing signs of being a senior as the new year began.  She can't take the heat much better than me and started sprinting out to the lawn to do her business and then coming right back into the house, rather than expect a long walk to do so that she used to. She still wants to chase squirrels but she doesn't want to do the mile or so walk to get to the nearest park that is full of them. I figure I can get my exercise and then let her use what energy she has to chase them.

Accepting that I had no control over her health care or diet until she was near 5 years old, and that her "designer breed" lives on the average to be 12, I accepted that her life was changing and so was mine.
No more worrying that I gave her enough exercise!  Was I really ready to have a house dog that likes to lay around? Now I sometimes wish I could take her with me on my adventures knowing I can't.

She started stopping when she figured she could not go on!

I mean she just stops!

She did this in the middle of a busy intersection and I had to scoop her up while cars were coming.  I started scooping her up and carrying her a ways, setting her back down. If I say the word Lift she stops and looks up into my eyes, anticipating.  I put my hands down and she jumps up.

And so one hot day I rigged up a box on a dolly with a bungee cord and took her with me to a garden I volunteer in once in a while which is a half mile walk.  She loves it there, sitting beneath a chair in the shade with a nice bowl of water and some treats.  She can watch birds fluttering in the bird bath from her spot.  Once in a while a golden dragonfly comes to the lily pond. She needs the mental stimulation if not the physical effort of having it.  She loves getting up in the box and holding on as I wheel, the wind blowing past her nose.

I accept this is how it is now.
But also that while she has become a senior dog, she is not exactly ancient or ready to give it all up.

A friend has a 12 year old about her size.  She is acting like this 12 year old.  I began to wonder if when I rescued her they had her age right.  There was a birth date on the kennel that was convincing.  I called them.  They admitted that the birth date might have been made up.

So I decided this was not a passing phase.

This was real.

And the thing to do was to buy a wheeled dog carrier!

I can't believe how difficult this really is.

First I called a number of local one owner pet stores.  I also called Target, Walmart, Kmart, Pet Smart, Petco... The problem?  They only have those hideous baby carriage type contraptions.  Or they have those hard plastic boxes.  I want the luggage type, with plenty of room and air flow, soft but sturdy. For the most part they had nothing on the floor, nothing to try her in, and I was repeatedly advised I go on line to purchase. 

My dog is twelve pounds.  The next problem was going on line to sites such as Doctors Foster and Smith and Petsmart, where these carriers are sized by the weight of the dog.  Let me tell you I put her in one that was supposed to be good up to 15 pounds and she could barely move.  So I realized we need to go to the medium but I couldn't find a medium anywhere locally to try her in.

Finally I found a medium on a day I didn't have her with me at a place called Centinella Feed.  It was red.  I suspected this was the best wheeled dog carrier I had seen, but I didn't want red.  The price with tax was about $165 dollars.  I asked if they could order one in for me in another color, such as beige or black.  They said no, they only keep one on the floor at a time.  So I went on line and for about $50 less there are plenty of places to order that exact product in black.

I haven't ordered this product yet.

I never order on line!

If any of you have a 12 pound senior dog who you wheel around, please let me know what you bought!

RED SQUIRREL

HURRICANES GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY? DON'T RESETTLE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Hurricanes?

I heard someone on the radio say that.  He said that there would be lots of jobs, so much rebuilding.  I ask you, with what money? Insurance?  A recent speech by HUD's Ben Carson emphasized that the government would provide NEEDS not WANTS.  That means basics.  Rebuilding is up to YOU.


Don't come to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to resettle here.  The cost of living, in particular housing, has gone "through the roof" which is not such a funny pun.


Let me explain just how bad it is.
I know several good people who are near homeless or facing homelessness.

Scenario One

This morning I ran into a senior citizen with a disabled son who has lived in the same apartment with the help of a voucher Section 8 from Housing Authority of  Burbank for 23 years.  This woman was also working into her senior hood.  The landlord had long ago stopped repairing things, including the plumbing, and she had previously told me that the Housing Authority questioned how she could possibly go on.
So, what happened?  She was given 6 months notice to move, with a rent increase (no rent control in Burbank) to $2700, more than double than she had been paying.  Five months in she had nowhere to live, and on an emergency basis, she and her disable child moved into a senior building.  It was last minute and she had to give away 70 percent of her possessions to fit them in this new place.


Scenario Two


I met "Pat" while waiting for the subway in Hollywood.  A clean cut man in mid life he told me he had moved from Vegas with an agreement to share an apartment with two other men already there. He lived there three weeks when the landlord raised the rent by $300 and said he had to go.  Pat is sleeping on the Subway, has a gym membership, and is applying to shelter programs near sleepless, so the question is, WHEN will someone take him in?  He has a good education and other marketable skills, but has not been able to look for work with so little sleep.  I have him texting me every day, as he does not have a street buddy or anyone to look out for him.  I can barely but he says he has a case manager now.


Scenario Three


"Emmy" is a single mom with a child whose father is out of state, living with her mom, and they are not getting along.  After months a friend offered her a small single apartment at a reasonable rate, and she is going to take it soon.  Without any furniture.  Her mom meanwhile told me that her parents are renting rooms in their house for $800.  So her parents who OWN a HOME are making $1600 a month on people who have nowhere to go.
Scenario Four
Took some donations to a local church service center that has a little clothing and food giveaway and there met another man who lost his apartment after 23 years.  In this case the rent just got higher than his income.  He's sleeping in his car while looking for a room to rent, hoping to have a separate entrance.
Scenario Five
I met Becky at my pharmacy where she is a very helpful clerk.  The single mom of two, she also lost an apartment that was going to be torn down and where everyone else fled with a couple thousand dollars given to them.  A lawyer protected her and got her better money.  But one day she had to go. Basically, she is in an RV in a friend's drive way, paying rent to be in it, and she and the kids are sick of living that way.  Their grades are dropping.  She is on my list of people who need AFFORDABLE HOUSING.


The whole situation here is going downhill fast and I mention this because in the past I have posted advice for incoming immigrants. I now think immigrants who are not independently wealthy should not settle in Southern California.


I fear that what happened with KATRINA will happen after the last two BIG HITS BY HURRICAINES.  Basically HUD or other funds will be used to help some people who are displaced MOVE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.  CHOOSE ELSEWHERE.  I met Katrina families who were allowed to use my gym for free when they came out.  They were whole families in rooms in houses and applying for homeless shelters.


When you've lived most of your life in a place, it's very difficult to imagine where else you might go.  Even the most flexible of us have a hard time with all the changes.

REVISITING A SINGLE YELLOW ROSE by ANNA KOCZAK

A couple years ago, I posted about this book.  Here is a scene from page 38 of the paperback that took place 70 YEARS AGO in the Chapter September-October 1947.  Sadly too many Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans remember these times because of their personal losses.

...Koros opened a document and handed it to Father. "It's your turn, Gyula," Koros said flatly, The paper bore the stamp of the government.  Like those before him, my father was being asked to sign away his land.  It was bad enough that this man treated others in the town with contempt, but that he could be so cold-hearted to someone who was part of his extended family shocked me.

"And if I don't," my father asked.

Waving his hand at the policemen, he said, "You will."

"Sign it, Gyula," my mother said, a catch in her throat.  "The land is not worth the price we'll pay if you don't."

At age sixty two, with the flourish of a pen, my father lost most of his land, his horses, his vineyards, his friends, his fruit trees, everything he'd worked for over a lifetime.  My mother too lost what she loved.  And so did all of us.

Father dropped the document on the ground. "It's all yours, Feri." Then in a calm voice and looking him in the eye, he added, "Men like you disgust me."

Tears tugged at my eyes.  I was furious and already imagined strangers cultivating and harvesting our land and the land of our neighbors.  How could this man so casually destroy people's lives.  Father was right.  He was disgusting...


I recently read this book over again.  The twists and turns and tensions build, but I'm picking up on some things I didn't the first time around.  Not only were Anna Toth's favorite color of roses yellow, but red roses were hated because they were associated with the Communists.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

FARMERS MARKET

THE COUNTESS by REBECCA JOHNS

THE COUNTESS, a fictive novel which tells the story of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who is supposed to have been the serial killer of hundreds of servant girls.  (I still think the numbers are exaggerated but even a dozen or two is extreme.)  Rebecca John's book was truly engaging. Reading his book and the Urbarium about the same time, though the events in this book took place more than a hundred years earlier, helped me understand better what life was for Hungarian women of the high nobility at the time when Bathory lived. Women like those married to the men who were counted in that census. 

Usually arranged to be married, never the less they still had poor relatives. They were often sent these poor relatives to work for them, to be educated a bit by working for the estate, or married off.  In this book the servant girls are often sexual before marriage, depicted as eagerly seducible, even promiscuous, and maybe that was a fact of class difference, or perhaps that is only in the viewpoint of a woman whose marriage is arranged,  but it is one of the reasons they are punished by her. 

Clearly increasingly sadistic, but with faithful servants also cooperating or punishing the girls themselves, the Countess thinks that it is completely in her right to be so punishing, but even the high nobility has its limits about what punishment is, and the torture and death of a servant, while not unheard of, is still not common. 

 

How long have the rumors been flying? 

How many good excuses, and bad ones, does the Countess have before she is walled up in a room, where she lives a couple years until she dies, visited only by a confessor, who can't actually get any sorrow out of her?

Is she a sympathetic character?  In my opinion, in some ways, she is. 

A countess of wealth had to be excellent at managing an estate and often spent months at a time - sometimes years - without seeing her husband and actually having a relationship with him.  The shifts of allegiances and power, at a time when Croation nobles are marrying with Hungarians and some Hungarians in Transylvania have a different notion of who should be ruling what, mean that a man really must be ready to battle physically if politicking isn't working in his favor.

There was a lot of research put into this book, so if you've been reading the Urbarium, or perhaps doing some personal family history or genealogy research, some of the noble surnames will sound familiar to you. Bathory's arranged marriage is history, as are the marriages of other nobles mentioned in the book.   

After the death of her husband, his best friend who had agreed to look in on her, did, but he also slept with her and then didn't marry her, choosing instead a much younger woman without a dowry to her name.  She is terribly embarrassed to have to beg money that was loaned by her husband to give her daughter a dowry and everyone suspects or knows that she has had this involvement and that the man will show off his new, nubile bride at the wedding.  Perhaps it's her husband's best friend who also, finally, puts a stop to her violent aberrant behavior.

C 2017  Magyar American BlogSpot  All Rights Reserved.

SZECHENYI STRANDFURDO MEGNYILT

SAINT STEPHEN'S DAY IN HUNGARY - NATIONAL HOLIDAY

Celebrated quite like our Fourth of July, with fireworks, parades, and sports.

HUNGARIAN BAGPIPE MUSIC Hollóének Hungarica - Ördög útja (trad. Csángó)

Hollóének Hungarica - Ördög útja (trad. Csángó)


Where there are sheep there are bagpipes.  This song goes faster and faster making me think of "whirling dervishes."  I imagine the dancers must dance till they drop!

STRANGE DAYS

Have you ever felt the days were "strange?"

I've been picking up a vibe that these days are.  Maybe it's because the moon is full, an eclipse is due, or maybe it's that here in Southern California school is starting, and even the hours at the public pool already reflect no expectation that kids will be coming to swim.  There is no doubt in my mind that it's way too hot out.  I don't even feel much like eating.  Instead, I drink tall glasses of iced water, or iced tea, usually without any sugar.  I'm in no mood for coffee. 

The weather and food choices tied in.

Other changes though must be inside me. 

I have been donating most of my books.

Today I donated clothes.

I'm in a process of pruning.

Maybe reevaluation.

OVERLOOKING THE MOUNTAINS

MUSIC TO READ THE URBARIUM 1767 BY (HUNGARIAN MUSIC ROOTS)

I just borrowed a wonderful compilation of Hungarian Music that's available a www.worldmusic.net in the Hungarian Roots: Transylvanian fiddle to Romany Rap.  My favorite song is the first one put out by Laszlo Hortobagyi and Iren Lovasv on the VILAGFA (World Tree) lable, called PAVA "Hey Peacock"  If you're thinking of violins and gypsy orchestras you'll find it as well as the Rakoczki March to "Dance in the Snow" in the Romanian language.  the Chymes band takes it's name from a village near Nitra in the South of Slovakia today.

ROBINS NEST

HUNGARIAN URBARIUM 1767 : 18th CENTURY HUNGARIANS LOVED TO PARTY? Genealogy Tip #10

Please read updates as of June 2019. These posts are popular and have been edited to include more information for genealogy and family history writers.

(In order to get to all the posts/genealogy tips regarding the NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF HUNGARY/ Hungaricana's URBARIUM 1767 you can search this BLOG by looking through my archives, through searching for the word URBARIUM using the Google Search Feature embedded in the blog, or by clicking on the link at the bottom of the post.)

The love of life, passion, is a characteristic of the Hungarians, a stereotype perhaps, like so many other stereotypes a bit true. Despite the religiously informed and driven life of so many Hungarians during this era, along with hard work came celebrations.

Let's again look at ROOT words and words that may appear on the portions of the Urbarium that you focus on, for we know that even if we don't find our ancestors, we are learning a lot about the lifestyle of Hungarians of the mid to late 18th century. These words continue to be used today.

***
BOR - wine
BOROSUVEG - wine bottle
BOROPINCE - wine cellar
BOROSZOLO - wine grape
SZOLOSGAZDA - wine/grape grower/farmer
GAZDA - husband/farm/farmer  (note that the farm and provider are considered masculine)
GAZDA EMBER - husband man (a little closer to animal husbandry)
GAZDASAGI - farm buildings
TANYAHAZ - farm house (note that the house and housework are considered feminine)
HAZ - house
HAZY - "of" house such as EZSTERHAZY "of the house of ESZTER"
FONTOSEMBER - important man (today, important person)
MAGUS - big
MAGUS EMBER - big man (important man - though it can mean his size)
MESTER EMBER - master craftsman (far from being an apprentice.  He knows his stuff!)
HELY - place
closely related to BOR - wine, is the word BAR.  Are we surprised?
BARABAS - apricot or peach (both used to make spirits)
 Vintage Apricot Brandy Advertisement
BARHELY - is a gin mill, bistro, or nightclub place (ie. place to drink and party)
since the making of wine, gin, or other drinks is best with spring water you might find
BEC - spring (not the season) on the map
and since grapes like foggy mornings perhaps you might see the word
KOMORAN - gloomy in a place name, or the grapes might be grown near a...
FOLY - river...
Don't drink too much or you could end up seeing...
CSILLAG
 - stars, celestial bodies, or a white blaze, *even
CSILLAG ALAKU - the radiant light!


1907 Advertisement for TOKAJI wine.
So if you see a place name that has the BOR root word in it, chances are it's known for grapes or wine making.
The wine route made it through market towns.
Consider GONC/GONCZ which translates to "hustle-bustle" (see the carts with big Gonc Barrels of wine on carts going this way and that in your mind's eye) or simply "busy!"
CSARDAS - dance
CSARDA - tavern or way house (implies a couple rooms to stay overnight. You don't want to drink and drive your carriage or ride your horse.)
AUTOSCSARDA - a road house (implies you got their by AUTO so a new word for tourists!)
*Keeping to the pictorial images of the Hungarian language this word also means STAR ANISE, the spice ANISE which comes from China or Asia which has been known to be used in making spirits.

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This post is part of a series.  To print up all posts, click on the tag Pro tips: 1767 Hungaricana Urbarium

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All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights

SUNFLOWER

HUNGARIAN URBARIUM 1767: ZALA COUNTY : FUN WITH PLACE NAMES Genealogy Tip #9

Please read updates as of June 2019. These posts are popular and have been edited to include more information for genealogy and family history writers.

I'm going to pick on ZALA COUNTY in the Urbarium (census of landowners) that began in 1767, here as we continue to explore a bit of the Hungarian Language and learn more about the history of the country at a time when it is mostly rural and agricultural.  I'll tell you a bit about why I decided to read ZALA. ARPAD GONCZ's (Ex President of Hungary) interview that is published on the internet, mentions that while the town of GONC is up north, his family came from ZALA COUNTY and there is a belief in the family that they may have been resettled or moved because someone was a courtier to a noble in the CSAKY family. 

Well, if you read Zala, or want to search for CSAKY in the Urbarium database on line provided by Hungaricana, you will find a whole lot of wealthy landowners named CZAKY.

Zala is a county with 493 pages of census, so very populated at the time compared to many other counties.

Let's continue to seek out root words of the Hungarian language and suspend our ideas of places being named after family farms or streets after people who put up the first house on them, or some developer in California naming his housing subdivision after famous estates in Great Britain!  OK?


1910 Map of ZALA COUNTY, HUNGARY from WIKIMEDIA


First let's imagine the times. The American Revolution is brewing. (And so is the French Revolution!) The census starts a decade before the official Declaration of Independence and before George Washington will become the First President of the United States. There are no freeways, highways, cement roads, planes, trains, or automobiles. The census takers must go slowly by horse and carriage and if they are lucky they have a little entourage. They would be lucky to do their interviews an estate a day. (On the final pages of each settlement there are signatures, dates, and red wax seals to make it all official.) Bad weather and road conditions can make it very difficult.

Now I'm going to go a bit alphabetical here, but we know that the census taker didn't go alphabetical in his travels to get all the information he needed to for Queen Maria Theresa, ruler of the Hapsburgs' Austrian Empire, of which Hungary is a part at the time. 

The census is declared or begins in 1767 but takes years to complete.  Officially I read it ended in 1773 but have already found a citation dated in 1774. What's written below is fictive but here we go!

Imagine the census taker, who I'm going to call Gyorgy (George) just for the fun of it, arrives at a 475 hold owned by HG Miklos (Nicholas) Esterhazy, and believe me when I say that his lands and those of his family are well beyond what we'd call "the 1%" today.

BAGONYA  - GONYA means potato or nightshade plants and the Ba refers to fields of a farm.

Now our Gyorgy goes over to the even bigger 689 hold estate owned by Baron Antal (Anthony) Senney, where he identifies it with its apparently unique feature, BAK. BAK means tree as in high up perch.  Perhaps there was a huge tree or a place where you could rest the horses and see the entire estate overlooking it!

Gyorgy continues on, sure that the nobles don't really want to talk to him, but he will not leave without their signatures and red wax seals making it all official. He finally gets to BANOKSZENTGYORGY, which is 858 hold owned by HG Miklos Eszterhazy.  It was nice of Nick to name it after Saint George, his namesake!  BAN means AT so simply, he is writing in that he is now at Saint George.

After checking in at BARABAS - apricot or peach tree, where there are only four small family plots, he goes to BARATSZIGET.  Too bad they won't let him stay indoors.  BARAT means chaste or religious and SZIGET is island, so he's at an island of chastity, a convent perhaps or a retreat center. It may be associated with TUSKEVARI PALOS KONVENT... a Pauline sisters convent, TUSKE means briar or thorns and VARI bowl; we can be pretty sure this is all referring to the crown of thorns on the suffering Jesus's head!  The place sounds pretty severe, maybe it's a good thing that he next goes to BARHELY, where there is a gin mill and nightclub, on a 239 hold piece of land owned again by HG Nick.  He has one too many but he continues on anyway, stopping at BAZA, or Lava Rock where a widow Foky farms 29 holds.  Finally before nightfall, his speedy horse in need of water, he stops at BEKEHAZA, BEKE meaning a quiet and peaceful HAZ house.  Owned by the widow of Adam Csillag, a 97 hold piece of land; they aren't even noble! Ah yes, she will give him some bread a good bowl of stew and let his horse drink water.

The next day Gyorgy gets up and makes one of the estates owned by Grof Gyorgy Czaky, a 639 hold place called BELATINC.  BELAT means Wise and Intelligent.  But his trip slows down as he gets close to 187 hold called BELSOSARD.  BELSO means interior - SARD means mud.

Then on to BENKOVEC, BEN means crippling and KOVEC means ROCK or STONY; let's say that this was a Killer Climb! One of the many estates belonging to Grof Mihaly Althann in Zala County. On he goes; serfs are running ahead to let their boss know he's coming.  After passing through to talk to the priests at SZABOTICAI PLEBANA, the Parsonage where priests take sabbaticals,  he goes to BERZENCE meaning Needles, a place of sharp rocky spires. Maybe because the land is so difficult it was cheap.  Here we find a lot of Petric family and a Takacs on small plots of land managing to make things grow on that rocky land.

In the weeks ahead Gyorgy will begin to talk to the MAGUS EMBERS (Big Men) with more ease.  He'll stop at HEGYMAGUS, Big Mountain, which the Lengyel family considers to be their stead and has a nice house with 316 hold. He'll go to KISPALI - KIS means LITTLE, PALI means COVE with two small plots of land, and KIS-ES-NAGY SATAR; Little and Big Encampment.

KISFALUD - Little Village, KIS-ES-NAGY-RADA, Little and Big Floodplain  where spring floods form temporary lakes that the geese look forward to, he'll go around KISGORBO, the Little Bend, KISLAKOS, the Little Habitation, and even stop at KISORS, Little Guard Post.

But the whole time all he can think about is his own HAZ.  Especially when he comes to KAPCA, a 273 hold place owned by HG Miklos Eszerhazy (again), which he names KAPCA because it means FOOT RAGS. The serfs are so poor here. He really misses his wife when he sees KAVAS, where four non-nobles live on a place that he calls SCRAP HEAP.

(To get to all the posts/genealogy tips regarding the NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF HUNGARY/ Hungaricana's URBARIUM 1767 you can search this BLOG by looking through my archives, through searching for the word URBARIUM using the Google Search Feature embedded in the blog, or by clicking on the link at the bottom of the post.)

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All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights

This post is part of a series.  To print up all posts, click on the tag Pro tips: 1767 Hungaricana Urbarium

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HUNGARIAN URBARIUM 1767 : RELIGIOUS PRIESTS and NUNS in 1767 - FEW LANDOWNERS and OFF TO THE CONVENT Genealogy Tip # 8

Please read updates as of June 2019. These posts are popular and have been edited to include more information for genealogy and family history writers.

So many CONVENTS, MONASTERIES, SEMINARIES, and ESTATES OWNED BY DIOCESE and HOLY ORDERS are evident on the 1767 URBARIUM -  HUNGARY LANDHOLDER CENSUS. The Jesuits, the Paulines, the Benedictines...

Let me start with some Hungarian words translated so you'll be aware of what you're reading.  I'm going to list these is a progression so you can see how the word meanings go. Sorry I don't have the keyboard to put in the pronunciation marks.

TELEK - property (not real estate or buildings or houses - usually means equipment such as farm equipment.)
CSALAD - family home or stead. (On census may imply it is owned rather than rented or is considered the family stead.)
SZELLER - cottar (implies rented building such as a tradesman's workshop or store. Note that I recently learned that Cottar indicates a house on a small plot of land only big enough for a family's own vegetable and herb garden.)
OHAZA - old country - home country
HAZA - house or home - HAZY - "house of" as in Eszterhazy "house of Eszter"
EGYHAZ - church
EGYHAZI - old church
EGYHAZATYA - church father
EGYHAZATYAK - church fathers
FOLD - land
EGYHAZI FOLDEK - church lands
EGYHAZI ANYAKONYV - church register (births, marriages, deaths)

TEMPLOM - best to think of this as a Spiritual Worship Center of any religion but in particular Jewish or Muslim.
APATSAG - abbey
KONVENT - convent
PALOS KONVENT - convent of the Pauline Holy Order
BENCES - Benedictine
BENCESREND - Benedictine Holy Order  (Also called "Black Monks")
BENCESAPACA - Benedictine Nun
GROF - Count (GR is abbreviation)
GROFNE - Countess or Wife of the Count
BARO - Baron (BR is abbreviation)
BARANO - Baroness or Wife of Baron
BAROKISASSZONY - Unmarried daughter of a Baron
EMBER - person
FONTOS EMBER - important person
HELY - PLACE (geographic such as on map)
SZENT - Saint
TEMETKEZESI - burial place or grave
KAPOLNA - CHAPEL (sometimes indicates place for Baptism)
KAPTALAN - CHAPTER HOUSE (indicates place to pay taxes or make payments.)
(I will add to this list over time.)

*****
... So I want to write a bit about GOTHIC FICTION which I took a class on in college..  GOTHIC FICTION began with the REFORMATION.  Novels featuring lusty and bloodthirsty sinning monastics, priests, and nuns were popular. These fictional characters had sex, got pregnant, murdered people, were sadistic or mean.

You could say that these novels were media and they were a lot like FAKE NEWS today, in the case of GOTHIC FICTION intended to promote Protestantism.  We know about them because so many were printed (the printing press having been invented and used primarily for printing Bibles) that some of these novels still exist in archives!  Were they based on true stories?  It's always possible some were but we don't really know for sure. Today GOTHIC FICTION is written by authors such as Anne Rice, who wrote pornography featuring castles and nobles and virgins and horses under a different name... but who is better known for her VAMPIRE novels, such as "Interview With A Vampire," which was made into a film. (In her book "Interview With A Vampire"  her characters search the world for others like them and stop in Central Europe where they are surprised to learn that People Actually Believe They Exist.) To be literary about her work, Rice is writing about Power being played out, about people who when told to jump say, "How high?" Rice has been known to have a personal struggle with Catholicism.

So now I want to write about the opportunities that women had back in the Medieval period, back in the mid 18th century when the Urbarium of 1767 took place.  We see that there are many places in the counties where there are parishes, churches, temples, retreat houses - and islands!, monasteries, schools, and convents.  Most women had two choices, to be a wife and mother or dedicate her life to God or Jesus in a Holy Order.  But convents were more like old YMCA with it's inexpensive rooms for women who wanted to get way and go somewhere to grieve their widowhood, preserve their virginity until a marriage contract could be discussed, or hide away to heal a heart break and preserve or renew their reputation. 

Some convents were boarding schools, and some took in orphaned girls. (When the fashion designer CoCo Channel was a girl in France and their mother died, her father took her and her sister to a convent and then deserted them there.) So you see, there was much to learn besides prayers and needlepoint at the convent. Wealthy and noble women were often taught to read and do the math they would need to run large estates at the convent while their husbands went visiting or off to politics or battles.  And on the URBARIUM YOU WILL SEE QUITE A FEW WOMEN WHO ARE COUNTESSES or BARONESSES WHO ARE WIDOWED, and we can assume running the estates they have inherited, at least temporarily, until a son comes of age, the estate is lost in debt, or THEY REMARRY.

YOU WILL ALSO SEE A FEW UNMARRIED DAUGHTERS OF COUNTS WHO HAVE LAND OF THEIR OWN.  A WOMAN WITH LAND IS A WOMAN WITH A DOWRY, a desirable marital partner.

(To get to all the posts/genealogy tips regarding the NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF HUNGARY/ Hungaricana's URBARIUM 1767 you can search this BLOG by looking through my archives, through searching for the word URBARIUM using the Google Search Feature embedded in the blog, or by clicking on the link at the bottom of the post.)

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HUNGARIAN URBARIUM 1767 : BLACK MADONNA and THE PAULINES HOLY ORDER Genealogy Tip #7

Please read updates as of June 2019. These posts are popular and have been edited to include more information for genealogy and family history writers.

There are several thousand locations in Europe where the BLACK MADONNA icon is enshrined as a focus for prayer. The Shrine of the Black Madonna in Czestochowa, Poland is the most famous, that also being a place of pilgrimage. Some people believe this original painting was painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist himself. Some people believe that the darkness of the skin of Jesus and his mother, Mary, was intentionally painted dark to indicate they were of African origin, others that the pigments darkened with time especially with all that exposure to incense and candle smoke!  Copies have been made with the dark  appearing skin for hundreds of years.

Why, you might ask, am I posted about the BLACK MADONNA here at Magyar American BlogSpot and the Hungarian Urbarium (census) of 1767? 

In the census you're going to find a number of religious oriented places that have been counted for their land holdings and buildings and you're going to see the word meaning PAULINE.  It turns out that there has been and is more than one HOLY ORDER based on Saint Paul, so I want you to know that when you see Pauline on the Urbarium it indicates the ORDER OF SAINT PAUL THE HERMIT, which was founded by Blessed Eusebius of Esztergrom, Hungary in 1215 - the Medieval period. 

According to some sources, at one time there were over 5000 monks belonging to this order just in Hungary. The Order spread to Germany, Poland, Austria and Bohemia (Czechoslovakia), and Croatia.  Estimated to be down to 500 members, the Mother House of the Order is now in Czestochowa where the icon thought to be original is cared for by them.

If you're researching in Szegred County, Hungary, you may find that the center for this worship is at Saint Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church, as Serbians began to immigrate there in the 1500's after bloodshed in that hotbed called Kosovo.  If you see a surname ending in IC, that is likely a Serbian surname.

(To get to all the posts/genealogy tips regarding the NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF HUNGARY/ Hungaricana's URBARIUM 1767 you can search this BLOG by looking through my archives, through searching for the word URBARIUM using the Google Search Feature embedded in the blog, or by clicking on the link at the bottom of the post.)

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HUNGARIAN URBARIUM 1767 : IT BEGAN IN 1767 Genealogy Tip #6

Please read updates as of June 2019. These posts are popular and have been edited to include more information for genealogy and family history writers.

With my precious dog at my side, I've picked back up with my EXTREME GENEALOGY practice of reading the front pages by settlement in each county - yes the ENTIRE 1767 Census that Maria Theresa ordered be done, so she could access the economic condition of the country she ruled as part of the Austrian Empire!  Now I will eventually focus on what is personal to me, but I think I have lots to share with those of you who are just now also facing this census. 

It's wonderful that the HUNGARIAN NATIONAL ARCHIVES have put up a searchable text database with the basics under each landholder's surname. I could easily use the search feature to look for just specific surnames, but I really want to get the lay of the land.  It's one thing to notice that the Eszerhazys or Andrassys are the 1% at the time, another to see how their holdings compare with the few farmers who are not land barons or of nobility: Yes there are a few!

I've been reading around Queen Maria Theresa, ruler of the Hapsburg's Empire of which Hungary was a part. She wanted to tax the nobles and land barons.  They had not been paying taxes and didn't want to, so it's said that they lied about the vastness of their holdings and that up to 2/3rds of the country was not actually represented in this census. They may have even had the cooperation of those serfs, servants, retainers, and employees who lived on their land to keep quiet about how much they owned.  

But first of all, I know the date of 1767 is on it, but that's actually when the census began.  In actuality it took about 6 or 7 years to cover the country by census takers who were traveling on horses and carriages or on foot. I've found my first notes taken in 1848, a pivotal year in Hungarian History, as well. So you know that in 1848 there were more notes taken in certain places, that census takers or other officials were sent back to those places.

I've printed out a map of the countries so that I can keep track of where I am in this quest, and yes, I'm finding that rare surname I've been searching for, which I believe is in Hungarian documents at least back to the 1300's. 

Those of you who are following along with me are probably wishing I would hurry up already and post everything I know to share with you. And those of you who live in Hungary and these counties and know the language fluently are probably thinking "I already know that! What I could tell her!" (There's always Comments!)

Others of you who read MAGYAR AMERICAN BLOGSPOT and don't do genealogy are probably wishing I would post on the here and now of my life as an American Citizen of Hungarian heritage!  I will try to please all of  you a bit but this is going to be a URBARIUM KIND OF SUMMER. 

(To get to all the posts/genealogy tips regarding the NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF HUNGARY/ Hungaricana's URBARIUM 1767 you can search this BLOG by looking through my archives, through searching for the word 

URBARIUM using the Google Search Feature embedded in the blog, or by clicking on the link at the bottom of the post.

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IS HUNGARY THE OUTER LIMITS OF RIGHT WING EUROPE?

NEW YORK TIMES - EUROPE MORE RIGHT WING? (IMPRESSIVE STATS CHARTS!)

Take a look at these charts where it appears that there are more "right wingers" in Hungary than any other European country and then ask yourself when it comes to values and ethics what does "RIGHT WING" really mean? 
I think the terms "LEFT WING" or "RIGHT WING" are subjective and those who might not have changed their values and ethics at all, and who were basically like just about everyone else in their neighborhood, city, state, or country, might be considered RIGHT WING TODAY but have been considered MODERATE or even LIBERAL A DECADE OR TWO AGO.

For instance, do you believe ideally that first you get married and then you have children?
To me this is the case in point.  Because you ask  yourself, what about sex? What about contraception? What about abortion?  Is it OK to have unmarried sex when you're engaged to be married?  What if you don't try it?  What if you don't like it?  What happens if you become pregnant and then are not married or deserted by the father?  Will he prove to be responsible and admirable?

Consider that what is personal to us always political too.  It's an ongoing battle of sorts.  We effect the bigger picture as individuals and the bigger picture effects us.
That's why participatory Democracy is so important.

When thousands of people have children they are not responsible for, then who supports them?  And for how long? And if a certain ethnic group or religion lives in such a way that you don't agree with their way of life but are forced to support their way of life financially, then what?
I'm using this example because I was raised to marry first, then have children, and the reason given to me was religious. At this time in my life the same value is not so religious but pragmatic. I've lived long enough to see how single mothers with children who have been abandoned by the men who made them pregnant struggle.
My neighbor down the street and I just had a long talk about this the other day.  She is in with her mother who is very unhappy with her but also interfering in her raising her son. I witnessed and overheard this repeatedly; the mother is giving mixed signals to the child, putting her down for her daughter's mothering skills in front of him and all the neighbors, and going against her when she tells her mother "Now is his time for a nap!"  It doesn't help that this is yet another child who I call "Atomic!"  He's the size of a five year old at age 2 so people look at him expecting him to be more mature than he is. He's cranky!  He's not obedient!  But the mother is putting her down saying the child cries because he "has no friends."  At age 2 do we have to be popular among 2 year olds? There is only one other on the street and he's growing up in a Moslem family.
She wants to live separate but can't find an affordable place.  So I thought perhaps I could introduce her to another woman in a similar situation and they could work out an affordable living situation.  So far they are both tentative about this.
She tearfully told me about a three month trip to the state of Georgia where the father of her child, her ex, now lives. It's so much more affordable than Southern California, the weather isn't too bad, the winters are not severe usually, and she even thinks she could find a job more quickly, maybe even someday be able to afford a small house on her own.  Her son would get to know his father, who wants that.  It would be "good bye" to her controlling mother.
However, while she was visiting two things happened that upset her.  She went to a pharmacy to fill a prescription for herself and one for her son and learned her medical insurance would not pay in that state.  She also noticed that people were staring at her as she walked aside the father of her son, who is not White.  Can she really live with that kind of scrutiny?  Here in California it's generally more acceptable to have a mixed race child or date or marry someone of another race.  (In particular, it seems like Jewish men are marrying Asian women, even importing them from China for marriage.)
I personally could never tell a pregnant young woman she must have an abortion but am pro-choice.  What if she had no mother to take her in or lived in a state that will not help her at all?  Would Southern California become like India, where there are so many people begging and living in the streets - living and dying there?  Or dare I say Romania not too long ago: I know of a group of people here who all adopted orphans from Romania who get together with their adopted children and are hoping that somehow these children will also get to know their Romanian heritage. Many of these parents are single but of a professional, higher income group. In their case the misfortune of a single mother in Romania was their good fortune.
So when I see news that parts of Europe are threatened by immigrants who do not share values and ethnics I think that people must look at all of it closely, and personally, and they must also look upon "the stranger" with their spiritual or religious values!


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MEMORIAL DAY - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

MELANIA CAN DO WHATEVER SHE FEELS WITH HER FACE

If you've been reading MAGYAR-AMERICAN BLOGSPOT, then you know that my feeling is that even if we do not like President Trump, we should show respect for the office of the Presidency of the United States which he won (and Hilary Clinton lost) fair and square!


If you read the news at all, then you know that lately the criticisms and speculations about President Trump extend to his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.  The fashions a woman in public life wears seem to always be up for discussion in the press, and in this case Melania was once a fashion model so it makes sense to me that she is expected to wear the perfect outfit for every occasion.  I actually prefer a softer look on women overall, so I like her flared pants outfits and don't like those huge belts and pencil shirts, but OK, she seems to savvy about appearing modest while not actually hiding her figure, but she doesn't have to dress to please me.  Now there is criticism of her face because she is not always smiling.  Melania's face appears sad, bored, upset, tired, etc. I've looked at those pictures and I can't always be sure of this but so what?


As someone who has been at times bothered by people telling her to smile, I feel the need to defend Melania (and all women) who are expected to show approval and happiness with smiles on their faces all their waking hours, and perhaps while they sleep too.


There are cultural expectations of what we do with our faces.  But we OWN our feelings and we OWN our faces. Society does not.  Men do not. We are not all performers.


I think I have a bit more insight into why Melania isn't always smiling, and it has nothing to do with the state of her marriage, which believe it or not I think is exactly as they want it to be, which is all that matters really.  (Who cares if they happen to not share a bed.  I can tell you that many loving couples just wish they could afford separate bedrooms and beds.)  You see, Melania is from a Slavic culture and the Slavs have always kept to a more serious (which is considered NATURAL) countenance.  A serious state of mind is actually more respected in Slavic cultures than it is in the United States.  Seriousness means intellectualism.  It means a person is thinking.  It also means compassion and respect for others in many situations.  For instance, witnessing a speech is a historical moment that deserves that seriousness. It also means the person can be trusted.


"Smiley Smiley" types are considered to be a bit suspicious.  I recall one woman who was a friend of mine who was like that.  Oh everyone looooved her.  She sure did screw me over in business!


 "Smiley Smiley" types are sometimes thought to be in the serving, pleasing professions (like airline stewards, waitresses, hotel desk clerks, and people employed in tourism) or always trying to sell something (your new best friends who has such a deal for you!), which could even be their own selves, and a bit pathetic.  Even they don't have to smile all the time in their private lives.


Consider this: If you need to submit paperwork for a passport of Visa ask and you'll learn smiling for your picture is not a good idea if you're going to Russia and many other countries because these countries do not like suspicious people.


I think Melania is beautiful but I know that Americans think Slavic women have a severe look.  Some Slavic women including Donald Trumps first wife Ivanna, had cosmetic surgery in order to look a bit less severe. (And daughter Ivanka reportedly had her nose redone.)  Trump has his "type" though.  He thinks Slavic women are beautiful.  And in recent years the Slavic fashion models have been in great demand. While modeling, a photographer may ask a woman to strike a pose and tell her what to do with her face.  Then she gets paid.


Hungarians are not Slavs, but many have married with Slavs for generations, so that ethnically Hungarian women sometimes look more Slavic than those who have not.


Also take a look at Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain who seems in pictures to always be smiling as she both serves her Country and Promotes (Sells) the Royal Family as necessary to Great Britain and much of the world.  If you have seen the rare serious look on her face you will know that her natural countenance in profile is more pensive. Her lips do not turn up at the corners when her mouth is at rest.  Our First Lady is simply not the people pleaser people think she should be and owns herself more than some people like.

So let's move on to the IMPORTANT ISSUES of this Presidency, because believe me when I say that more people are upset about proposed budget cuts to social services that provide food, medical care, housing, and the like, than our First Lady's face!


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