BENEDICTINES

HUNGARIAN URBARIUM 1767 features many properties owned by the Benedictines who were influential in many parts of Hungary.

HUNGARIAN FLOWER LANGUAGE - JUST IN TIME FOR BUYING A BOUQUET - - APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS

I've been aware that the Victorians (English) had their own language of flowers in which various blooms and colors conveyed emotions in a more romantic and perhaps subtle way than blurting out something better left not obvious.  

But what of the HUNGARIANS? 

I did a little research on this and if you're Hungarian, or in a relationship with a Hungarian, you definitely do not want to follow another ethnic groups flower language.   Officially this study is called floriography.  

Culled from a number of informational web sites, here it is:

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FUNERALS :  White lilies, roses in white, pink or red shades, and chrysanthemums, especially white, are the flowers to present. Never give "mums" for other occasions.  Red roses mean your love for the person will never end.  White flowers woven into a wreath...

OVERALL : Avoid giving 13 flowers in any bouquet which is considered unlucky. Always give a number that is uneven.  Even numbers of flowers are considered unlucky.

ROMANCE : 

Daffodils mean that you want more than friendship.
White carnations tell a person that you consider yourself uncommitted to them. Yellow tulips represent unrequited love.  (Throw those in with some daffodils and you are communicating that you are really hurting without her!)  Yellow roses used to mean jealousy but now mean that you are friends. (Thus yellow roses with white carnations are a way to tell someone you are breaking with them but want to remain friendly.)

TULIPS, the national flower, are almost always good to give in colors, particularly pink, and add a touch of sincerity to your bouquet.  (Mixed in with lilies and the giver is thinking about marrying his love!)

ROSES are also almost always good, especially pink - happy ones.  Red and white roses mixed in a bouquet mean harmony, as in a unified relationship.  But do not give roses for a first date in Hungary.  That's just too serious.

LILACS : White for innocence, purple for the beginnings of love.

SUNFLOWERS :  Always cheery, a good flower to include in a friendly bouquet or as a house warming gift.

DAISIES : Also friendly and good for gift giving.

WILD or FIELD FLOWERS : Happiness: Also friendly and good for gift giving.  Include into this category any flowers that are in orange colors.

PEONIES - the rose without thorns.  An excellent flower to decorate church. Associated with lasting and happy marriage.  Also associated with prosperity.  Thus a perfect flower for romance and weddings.

BABY's BREATH - popular in the United States as a "filler" : don't use it.  Filler should be healthy and green.

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DUKE and DUCHESS OF SUSSEX EXPECTING ANY DAY - THE HUNGARIAN LINK TO QUEEN ELIZABETH and ROYAL GRANDCHILDREN

Update November 29, 2023

Hello Friends.  Since this post gets a lot of hits, I thought to say a little more about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who have made the Santa Barbara - Los Angeles adjacent California their home. I can't say every American "has their back," but I can say that most Americans respect their wish to make their own money and not be dependent on Britain or the Royal Family. As well, I think there is interest in their children who are no doubt being raised as Americans with British heritage. I tend to think that in America there is a general interest in genealogy and genetics (DNA) and with that comes interest in what is inherited biologically - without such interest being automatically taken as an "ism."  For instances, there is curiosity in what children who have been born by surrogate look like (such as Paris Hilton and her husband's children) and immense interest in the Kardashians and their children and who they look like. My heritage does not include people who were slaves in the United States or any recent or traceable persons of "African"/ Black heritage so I don't know exactly what it is like to have that heritage, but I try to have empathy for the sensitivity some people have.  In general I do not think of this curiosity about who children look like is racism.  Racism to me involves not just noticing but also actively going against a person or a group of people for their racial heritage, ethnic heritage, or how they look. Living in a "mixed" culture in California, I think people here are overall quite liberal in attitude. I have no strong opinion on if or who anyone in the Royal Family is racist and find it all rather interesting.

Here at Magyar-American I play (in what I hope is a humorous way) with the various stereotypes of Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans, some of which I've experienced and some which I have been told abut by others. I hope my readers take those posts into consideration - and in stride.  Please leave comments if you have an opinion!

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As Royal Watchers know, American Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duchess and Duke of Sussex, are expecting their first child any day. (I've been peeved over criticisms of The Duchess of Sussex's finally taking some time off in wait of her baby and concerned that she intends to go back to work so quickly. At 38 years old, and bearing a first child, I want to remind everyone she is not a "spring chicken," however well and eager she appears. Give this woman a break!)

Queen Elizabeth is partly Hungarian, and Prince Charles has gotten himself a little vacation home in Romania - Transylvania area - where so many Hungarian nobles once lived as part of the more mountainous region referred to as "Royal Hungary" which also includes present day Slovakia.) Of this I read various opinions about how the locals feel but it seems he himself loves it there when he visits. (And where I suspect he gives himself time off from being Prince Charles.)

The connection with the aristocracy and nobility of Hungary comes from one of Queen Elizabeth's great great grandmothers (1/16th) who was Countess Klaudina Zsuzsanna Thedy de Kis-Rhede (1812-1841). (Nick Gombash at Hungary Exchange has an impressive chart of lineage in which you can follow and perhaps you too will link to the British Royal Family.)

And so Baby Sussex will have among it's ancestors a bit of the Hungarian nobility as well as once upon a time African slaves brought to America.

Of interest to Hungarian-Americans also is the present day Princess Micheal of Kent.

MAGYAR NEWS - PRINCESS MICHEAL OF KENT - HUNGARY CONNECTION

EXCERPT: But currently, the closest Hungarian relation to the Queen is the former Marie Christine von Leibnitz, who married Prince Michael of Kent in 1978, making her Princess Michael of Kent. Her father was Baron Gunther von Reibnitz and her mother was Countess Szapary Maria Anna Von Muraszombath. 

UPDATE July 2019
A genealogy chart that shows how the British Royal family is related to Hungarian nobility and Vlad the Impaler : FAB PEDIGREE - ANNA LONYAY - PRINCE CHARLES - VLAD THE IMPALER

SORROW at HUNGARY's MAKING HOMELESSNESS CRIMINAL - IS HUNGARY A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY?

Hungary became a country  as a Christian country.  I feel sorrow for the homeless of Hungary who are now criminals because they are poor or rootless.  To me this is as backwards as it gets, that is if this is what Hungarian Christianity has come to.  

This I realize is a strong statement, but I come from one of the wealthiest "Countries" of all, not just the United States but California, which has an amazing economy statistically but which still has thousands of homeless people,  and believe me when I say that those homeless census' are only of those willing to be counted.  California, especially the large cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, where rents and housing costs are extreme has that impressive economy but still so many are not included in it.

I believe stereotyping homeless people is a problem.  For instance a stereotype is that homeless are all mentally ill, addicted, or criminal, when sure, some are, but many are not.  Consider that there are people out there who have worked for many years but at jobs that just did not pay enough money or had no retirement plans.

I've met these people around town due to some volunteer work I've done and because I take my dog to parks which are usually near civic centers and libraries.  In recent months I've met a man who is on dialysis who was a fisherman for many years and who has been sleeping under the roof of a senior center for two years. I met a woman who sleeps in a borrowed car who is a cancer survivor and due to her illness was out of the workplace for some time.  Both impress me as intelligent and stressed out but well mentally (i.e. not seriously permanently mentally ill.)  I also met a man who refused to pay his rent when his rich and powerful landlord refused to repair the walls of his old apartment which had vermin (rats) coming in.  He was on the street for 11 months before he found a place in a new senior building.  The new senior building was built in a part of the city that has a crime rate almost double than the rest, in other words a very undesirable area.  Most people in it are afraid to go out after dark.

In the United States being mentally ill (and willing to go on disability such as SSI), or addicted (and willing to get into rehab) generally will lead to housing with some sort of government subsidy for the rent, but even then this can take months or years.

I attended a church service recently where the minister was talking about "What would Jesus do?"  Wasn't it Jesus who said the way we treat THE LEAST OF OUR BROTHERS is the way we treat Him?  If this is so, then the criminalization of homeless in Hungary is not the act of a Christian or a Christian Country.  Please think about this for one hour this week, the hour you might devote to church going or not.

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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.

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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.

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