THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO BEING HUNGARIAN : AN INTELLIGENT BOOK THAT IS ALSO FUN

 Sixteen notable writers.

These writers tackle subjects beyond stereotypes (like the cover of the book - peppers and mustaches) about what Hungary and Hungarians are about, looking at the past as well as the present situation as a result of the past. Pride in a unique heritage is one thing, people not picking up dog poo in Budapest is another.  From places to go and things to do, to relatives who got stranded in what is now another country before the country was significantly chopped. From heritage horses, pigs, and sheep, to the fact that the Hortobagy Plain was once forested and the vacant salty expanse of it now is due to overgrazing of animals.

Folk customs... likely begun in the 17th century or so not brought from Eurasia. Regional dress that used to identify village, class, and so on, now mainly worn by textile sellers and people on their way to dance class but yet there are places in Hungary where there exists people who can 'read' or identify the dress. The

difference between folk tale and folk legend and more than one origin story.  These short essays seem more reckoning than opinion,  I thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent book, which also, I am so happy to say, is not mired or overly sober.

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CZISKO : HUNGARIAN COWBOYS

Hortobagy National Park is one scene of the traditional Hungarian cowboys of the great Hungarian plain - the Cziskos.

Here is the explaination this YouTube video poster wrote : In this video I proudly represent the CSIKÓS (Hungarian horse-herder) from the region of HORTOBÁGY and HAJDÚ county. We´ve been using the whip since ancient times to push the horse herd in the favoured direction. The animals react to the sound but aren´t touched by the whip. Due to the oppressive rule of the Habsburg dynasty, many herdsmen of the Hungarian lowlands became highwaymen or/and joined the freedom fight of 1848. The light cavalry evolving from the csikós used the whip as a weapon. The act of laying down the horse derives from ancient Hungarian warfare. It was a way of staying unseen by the enemy. The highwaymen also applied this technique to perform robberies on surprise.

Standing on the horse doesn´t cause pain, it simply demonstrates the close connection between man and animal.

In today´s time, there are still a few traditional horsemen left, who do the work. Cracking the whip during a demonstration like this is also an act of honoring the land and its people. The herdsman is a symbol for freedom and independence and carries the old spirit of the nation.