EASTER EGG

MAGYAR AMERICAN BLOGSPOT - MY GENEALOGY - RELIGION - HISTORY and CULTURE of HUNGARY

This Easter Week has been and is exceptional for me because I'm volunteering at an small, informal, ecumenical and inclusive Christian church that has events all Holy Week, including the Washing of the Feet, The Solemn Good Friday, and culminating in an uplifting Easter celebration that includes a community meal and Easter Egg hunt for the children. This is the first time in years that I've been involved, and to be honest, I'm not too religious, but essentially I believe in the message of Jesus Christ, though not necessarily that being Christian is the only way to eternal life.

A question of the religion of my ancestors is also part of my genealogy research.

For a long time I've been searching for the marriage of my great great grandfather and great great grandmother, whose location, age, and religion at marriage is unknown.  

During the upheaval period of 1847-1849 (approx) my great grandfather was born in "Geres," and I've wondered if perhaps the family was moving about or effected or involved in this crisis. I learned that though the location probably was the Kis and Nagy Geres of Zemplen County, there was also a place called Geres in Szatmar County.  Could it be that they were just passing through?

I revisited the ongoing and wonderful work of Nick Gombas over at HUNGARY EXCHANGE (He needs volunteers!) the other day and am very excited about the searchable databases.

Recently I found there has been a connection between Nagy and Kis Geres and the other town where his son married twice and worked with a particular noble family and so I wonder if perhaps there has been a link between families into other counties such as Szatmar.

Years ago I talked to a man from the town my grandfather left. He expressed to me that though his family were devout Catholics (and it was the Church records from there, available at LDS, that I discovered so much), but overall he felt Hungarians had been through so many changes with religion that they were not especially devout overall.  I've wondered if this is part of my inability to be devout and my dislike of the Catholic versus Protestant divides.

I want to mention that I've been reviewing my genealogy oriented posts and links and want my readers to understand the focus of MAGYAR-AMERICAN BLOGSPOT.  Very basically, I know many of you Hungarian-Americans are doing genealogy research into your Hungarian (and often Slovak, German, Romanian, or other ethnicities originating in Hungary (with all those border changes).  At the same time, I believe that understanding Hungarian history, culture - in the past and present - is important to your understanding, your quest.

For me it's exciting to find the evidence for another ancestor - be it direct blood-line or families related - but these people are not just names on databases (or the more juicy original documents) but people who lived in a different time in history, who were more influenced by what we might call "folk culture."  I want to understand their work, how they dressed, and what they might have eaten, what influenced their choices when it came to marriage, and just how much if any freedom they had. This research leads me into town and county and country histories, collections of clothing and needlework, and so much else.

Beginning with the Hungarian language (which everyone I've ever met has mentioned as "most difficult")  and Hollywood and other stereotypes of Hungarian people (and people of Central and Eastern Europe), I believe there is much to learn and UNlearn about Hungarian people as individuals and as in groups.

By researching and writing this blog, I've learned so much about my unknown or forgotten heritage and have "owned" my own Hungarianess. When I was growing up, it was only the difficulty of my surname that informed me that I was perceived as different, and I was an adult before I learned the meaning of my surname.  (Now as people stumble over it, I explain it is Hungarian and what it translates to.)  

And so here you will find some of my own musings, my own life as a citizen of the United States of America, as well as that heritage.


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All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights

INFLUENCE OF ITALY : HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM - HISTORY OF HUNGARY PERMANENT EXHIBIT

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM - HISTORY OF HUNGARY
Browse through the photos of the permanent collection and note the influence of the Italian Renaissance on Hungary (the first country to be influenced) : architecture, art, fashion.


Search for these words: ...the townsmen involved with long-distance trade were overwhelmingly of German or Italian descent and had family connections with many towns...  However, this tapestry commissioned by King Matthias Corvinus and considered a masterpiece of Ittalian textile art, was made specifically for secular use.



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KISSING A WOMAN'S HAND WHILE LOOKING IN HER EYES - HUNGARIAN MEN FLIRTING?

One day years ago I went out to lunch with my boss and some people from the office.  My boss was once a refugee from Croatia or Italy - somewhere like that.  At the restaurant his good friend, a Hungarian who had come to the United States as a refugee showed up.  I was introduced and upon hearing my Hungarian surname, the man grabbed my hand, bent his head to kiss it, all the while smiling and looking deeply into my eyes.  I have to admit I thought it was weird.

I was told that this is how Hungarian men do it.

Hey, I thought, Hands can be dirty and smelly.

Someone said, but this avoids the lips!

It's true that I would have considered it entirely inappropriate if this man or any man I was just introduced to anywhere made a dive for my lips with his.

This man made a joke - I wish I could remember it - that gave me the impression this hand kissing could be considered obscene too.

So what I'm wondering is - what's the history of hand kissing?
Is it something men are still doing in Hungary?
If a woman reacts by removing her hand from a man's lips, is he dishonored?

ROSE OF BOHEMIA - FASCINATING

CENRTICI HYPOTHESES ORG - ROSE OF BOHEMIA  by Jack Keilo (Jacques Keilo) 

EXCERPT:  Today our map is the HOHEMIAU ROSA by CHr,. Vetter, Vienna, 1668, a map representing Bohemia s a rose centered on Prague.  

FIGURE 1. Rose of Bohemia, by Chr. Vetter, 1668

Rush to this sight which is truly fascinating. it shows how art and maps were used for the purpose of ethnocentricity, and of course it concerns also Hungary and national identity.

POPPIES! HUNGARIAN BLUE and CALIFORNIA ORANGE SUPER BLOOM

The poppies for poppy seed to put in bread and rolls are from the Hungarian BLUE poppies, not to be confused with the California Poppy which is all brilliant orange or the California Coastal Poppy which is orange in the center to middle and yellow from the middle to tips.  Although there is always talk about people getting high by eating poppy seeds, really it's the blue or breadseed that can be turned into opium.  To make things a little more confusing, the Hungarian "Blue" looks to be purple.  Because California has gotten so much rain this season that we are officially out of drought, we have a SUPER BLOOM OF POPPIES...

LA MAGAZINE - LAKE ELSINORE SUPER BLOOM of POPPIES

Excellent photos on this link.

LONELY PLANET -CALIFORNIA DESERT SUPER BLOOM

HAS YOUR HUNGARIAN-HERITAGE AMERICAN FAMILY LOST THEIR HOSPITALITY?

I'm reminded that American travelers to Hungary often  comment on how hospitable the people are, how welcoming.  I expect a professional in the travel or entertainment industry to be warm and respectful but I hear this is the case in the small towns and villages too.  

Growing up I noticed that relatives of Hungarian heritage seemed to feel that as family you didn't need to call beforehand, that as family you could show up anytime.  I considered this to be a village attitude.  We still liked to call and ask if we'd be welcome because it was a bit of a drive.  And I remember one time we did show up and it was a bad time because my aunt's husband's brother had just died and they were off to a funeral. 

What about you?

TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER IS NO LONGER A SAFE SUBJECT

Seems to me my dad told me more than once to "talk about the weather."  

The idea was to avoid politics or religion. Of course doing so was avoidance of expressing opinions.  In the work place and among people you didn't know - and some you did - the weather was a safe subject.

But now the weather is controversial.  

The fact that hard rains have blown out your umbrella, that the heat is roasting you as though you were a bald chicken, or that the snow and cold is unexpectedly fierce (like in Chicago or Milwaukee recently), or that the icebergs are melting all over the globe brings up Global Warming (Liberal), Earth Changes (Middle of the Road), Global Cooling (Controversial ice age theories), and might be avoided.  Depending on which theory you most believe, you may be discovered to be a Republican or a Democrat or even a "Socialist."

UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE SUMMIT - SEPTEMBER 2019

It's my feeling that eventually there will be great population shifts that might change the borders of countries in coming years.  I read that the North Pole (magnetic) has shifted dramatically unexpectedly (some shift was expected) and I wondered if this had something to do with the deep freeze.    Lots of snow can lead to flooding. 

MARITIME EXECUTIVE : MAGNETIC NORTH SHIFTING RAPIDLY

EXCERPT: The World Magnetic Model predicts the Earth's geomagnetic field for the next five years and it is normally produced every five years.  Scientists have now recognized that the 2015 World Magnetic Model needs updating earlier than planned, but the update has been postponed from January 15 to January 30 due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.

***

You may or may not like the United Nations but can you argue with sailors?

SWANS VALENTINES

THE FAMOUS LOVE LOCKS OF BUDAPEST - SZECHENYI CHAIN BRIDGE

NEWSWEEK - LOVE LOCKS MAY BE FORBIDDEN BUT...  This article from the 2015 era discusses the love locks of Paris... I understand that due to the collapse of the bridge due to the weight of the locks, they have been removed.  (But the collection is beginning again.)

Did you know that the Szechenyi Chain Bridge is also the scene of lovers padlocking it as a symbol of their forever love? The Chain Bridge was the first permanent stone bride connecting Pest and Buda. 

SOYBEANS ARE NOT DOG FOOD

My dog is an itchy dog.
I understand that the number one reason Americans take their dogs to the vet is itching.
An itchy dog appears to be obsessed - unnerved - and it's difficult to watch too.
You want to relieve them of the itch.
The first thing you do is bath your dog.
You think shampoo - conditioner - and topical ointments.
You think fleas, bug bites - especially spiders.
You switch around their food.
"Grain Free" is popular.
However, what's the substitute for wheat or corn?
(Are "Gluten Free" people thinking DOGS should also be Gluten Free?)
So here is what my research and experience has taught me.

In nature dogs are lucky to breed once and are often dead before the age of 6.  They don't get old enough to loose teeth or lay around.  They are either contributing to the welfare of the pack or they are put out to die alone.

One dog is accepted as the leader, usually a good hunter.  That dog gets to eat first.  When they kill an animal whose meat they like, this pack leader goes for the stomach.  THE CONTENTS OF THE STOMACH are gourmet food to the dog and it includes DIGESTED VEGETATION.

The vegetation is usually grasses and berries - think what a deer eats.

The number one meat dogs are allergic to is CHICKEN.  But birds are not all alike.

So READ LABELS.  And what do you read?
SOY.  I learned that soy plants and beans and oils are a big export of Hungary to the United States.  However popular soy is as a protein substitute for vegans and vegetarians, it can have an estrogen effect and should be avoided unless used minimally by people with cancer or danger of cancer that can be grown by estrogen.  (How much soy or yams a person can eat is subject to debate.)  

I read labels and I see things like TOMATO SKIN, BLUEBERRIES, CACTUS, ROSEMARY put into dog food.
I seriously question tomato in dog food.  As for blueberries, see if your dog will eat one without the kibble.  Mine rolls them on the floor not knowing what else to do. Cactus?  Forget it.  I hear of dogs who like bananas and watermelon.  Mine could care less.

However she loves - cabbage - sauerkraut, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower (I hear there are cautions about how much of these), yams and pumpkin (I hear to avoid white potato and sweet potato), chick peas.  She could care less about lettuce or other table greens.

So I indulge her.  About a teaspoon full on the kibble.  She will dig out the real food over the kibble.

I have a friend who feeds his dogs chicken and kibble every day.  My dog likes to raid his dog's bowls.

Thus if you have a Hungarian-American dog and must give it people food, forget the spices, but give that dog some stuffed cabbage - but not anything with soy.

A sign that a dog has allergies is black discharge or tears from its eyes.  A sign that the food change is working is the end of that discharge or tears.

C 2019 Magyar American BlogSpot  All Rights Reserved including International and Internet rights.

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY

Today many governmental agencies, libraries, and so on are closed in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. 

It's a time to pause and think about stereotypes.

Some say that truisms are based on true things about ethnicity and race and religion and sex.

I can't help but think of all the discrimination and isms I've experienced in my lifetime, that of my parents and ancestors, because of PREjudice 

But then again, they say you have to BE in order to have fun with or have humor about stereotypes, and that's something I try to do here at MAGYAR AMERICAN BLOGSPOT.

IS WORKING SIX DAYS A WEEK THE SAME AS SLAVERY?

BLOOMBERG: ANTI SLAVERY PROSTEST - ANTI ORBAN PROTEST

EXCERPT: Hungarians staged nationwide protests and threatened the first general strike since the end of Communism to pressure Prime Minister Viktor Orban into repealing a controversial new law on overtime.
Thousands gathered on Saturday in Budapest and blocked traffic in more than a dozen cities across the country, reflecting dissent that's spreading beyond the capital.  Labor unions and opposition groups are protesting what critics have dubbed the "slave law," which allows companies to ask employees to work the equivalent of six days a week...

VILMOS ZSOLAY - WHY HE'S CALLED THE KING OF HUNGARIAN CERAMICS

BARD COLLEGE: HISTORICISM IN ZSOLNAY CERAMICS

EXCERPT: Vilmos Zsolnay adhered to this ideal of technical and artistic perfection.  As his daughter Terez noted in her memoirs, Vilmos had wanted to be a painter in his youth.  Beginning in 1865 he worked to improve his ornamental ceramics by testing a number of raw materials in and around Pecs, by introducing kaolin from Bohemia, and by refining these materials and even selling them.  Through his business connections in England, France, Germany, and Austria, he was familiar with the trends of the period and able to introduce and market fashionable items that appeared as novelties to his small -town customers.

Zsolnay's first major success came at the 1873 Vienna World Exhibition.  Some of his ornamental dishes were decorated by transfer prints, others by Schmelzfarben (high-fired colors), designed and executed by a painter named Claven.  ....

DAILY NEWS HUNGARY - ZSOLNAY PORCELAIN KING

FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS BEAUTIFUL and VARIED CERAMICS BY RUNNING A SEARCH FOR ZSOLNAY IN GOOGLE IMAGES.

HUNGARIANS ARE MYSTERIOUS : HUNGARIAN / HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN STEREOTYPES

 

Once they have started pronouncing your Hungarian surname correctly - or close - it's time to tell your friends that it's TRUE  - You ARE Mysterious!

How can you not be mysterious?

Every Hungarian has a mystery to them.  Their origins, their language, their DNA, their sensibility.  

You have strong political beliefs - but who knows what you're really thinking?

You like all women/men - but who knows who you really love?

You play chess well - but did you let the other person win - for future strategy? 

Who knows what really goes on in your mind?  Not even your mother is sure!


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