Regional Forms of Hungarian Folk Costumes

CONTENTS

Upper Hungary

Transdanubia

Because of its location, western influence came to Transdanubia first, both in material and in the cutting and sewing of certain articles of fashion. Mutual influences can be demonstrated most easily in the southern region of Transdanubia with Croats and Slovenians, because of contacts and proximity. The traditions of Serbs and other South Slav groups spread to the north along the Danube, influencing Hungarian folk costumes, especially through use of greater colour and richness. At the same time, Hungarian influences also penetrated to the west and south, but it is not up to our present study to examine that subject.

Only remnants of folk costumes are known from the Göcsej and Hetés regions. Girls wore long braids with long ribbons in back that reached down to their heels. Married women rolled their hair on a piece of wood, later made from cardboard. A type of headdress called pacsa for festive wear was shaped out of white linen, starched, and decorated; we can find its equivalent among the Croats. Linen skirts were worn with {335.} aprons, which were also made out of linen. The short sheepskin coat was prominent among the winter wear, and was variegated by red cordovan and ornamented with white and yellow leather appliqué. Formerly men’s shirts were so short that they did not cover the waist, longer shirts coming into use only during the second half of the last century, when the front was embroidered with white cotton yarn. The gatya (drawers), made out of one to one and a half widths of linen, was supplanted in the middle of the last century by a festive version, sewn out of five or six widths of material, fringed at the bottom. An apron decorated by stripes was also worn by men. Breeches made out of broadcloth only appeared around the middle of the last century. The bocskor was generally worn in winter and summer, supplemented in the cold weather by leggings wrapped around shins. A thong was wound around the leggings so precisely that the legging could not be seen under it. A braid-trimmed bodice was worn over the shirt, and the older people wore sheepskin vests. A short szűr was worn over that or, in the case of someone more prosperous, the large szűr.

{337.} The costumes of the Rábaköz were worn longest by the people of Kapuvár. On holidays, married women tied an embroidered white batiste or tulle kerchief over their coifs. A favoured material for the rich garments of women was red velvet sprinkled with gilded stars. Even blue satin was used for dresses, which is unique among Hungarian folk costumes. A long silk apron was tied in front of the skirt (cf Plate XI). The costume is extremely rich and, from the middle of the last century, was made mostly of various manufactured materials. Men also wore richly ornamented clothes. They pinned a large bouquet to their small fur caps. We find detailed embroidery on the cambric shirt, and flowers embroidered even on the legs of the under-drawers. The shirt is cut out of brocade with roses in it, and is further embellished with ribbons. Men wore an apron made of lusterine embroidered with flowers. Their hardtopped boots matched both the pale blue winter broadcloth suit and the summer wear.

It is worthwhile taking a closer look at the women’s attire in Martos {338.} (Martovec) of the Csallóköz. The girls wore a gathered, black ribbon in their hair, tied over the forehead. Young wives could also wear such a band, but usually their headdress was trimmed with gold lace and silk ribbons. The hair of the married women was knotted on a comb. Several silver chains or garnet necklaces were worn. One basic element of the women’s costume is the petticoat, which was made of five widths of hemp linen and which was worn with straps. They usually wore a wide-sleeved shirt, tinted blue. The bodice was cut out in the front and back and it reached the waist; festive versions were made of cotton, silk, and other factory-made materials. Wearing skirts became fashionable only during the last century. A shawl was worn over the shoulders. Young people even put rattles into the heels of their red boots, the top part of which was wrinkled all the way around, while the older people wore black boots. Certain characteristics of this costume can be traced to the Palotses.

Törökkoppány of Somogy County, in the southern part of Transdanubia, is noteworthy among the numerous villages where folk costumes were worn. What makes the headgear of the girls interesting is that, contrary to the general custom, they wore their hair in a knot, like married women. A small, hard headdress, called pille, richly decorated {339.} with beads, goes on top of it. Holiday skirts were made of velvet, and underneath a thick rear cushion was worn to make the figure seem bulkier. One characteristic of the men’s wear is the long shirt, which was not tucked into the pants but worn hanging loose, with lace often embellishing the bottom.

The folk costume of the Ormánság has many ancient characteristics. For example, the white colour of mourning survived here, seen mostly in the garments of the older women. The girls wore their hair in two braids decorated with red ribbons, their heads left uncovered. The married women covered their heads with headdresses of a certain shape and colour, according to their ages. The young wives up to the age of 35 wore red, wide-ribboned headdresses; between the ages of 35 to 40 they mixed in ribbons of blue. The blue ribbons, along with white and green ones, were worn more and more up to age 50, when the ribbons were completely taken off and the headdress became white. The skirt called bikla was made of linen, on top of which younger women wore a shirt {340.} made of tulle. They also wore a festive tulle shirt over their linen shirts. From the beginning of the 20th century, black completely replaced wearing white among the old. This was the result of the growing influence of city culture.

We find the most ornamented costumes of Transdanubia along the Danube, in the region of Sárköz, which developed from the middle of the last century as the result of sudden prosperity following the draining of marshes. The girls wore a párta over their foreheads, the newer version of which, consisting of three parts, was called “velvet” (bársony). The women pinned their hair on the top of their head in a half crown and covered it with an oblong headdress. They embroidered this with white yarn on a black background, because here black was considered to befit {341.} a young person. Until the birth of the first child, young wives wrapped their heads with a bíbor, made of voile, the end embroidered with silk and gold, which they wore in such a way that the embroidery could be displayed to advantage. They wore necklaces made out of coins or other ornaments. Men’s costumes varied only slightly from that of the surrounding areas. A high fur cap was worn over long hair, and in the summer they also used to wear wide-brimmed hats. The dolman coat (szűrdolmány) was made of white broadcloth, its cut and length in accordance with the waist-length shirt. The sides of the dolman were decorated with red and green appliqués of broadcloth or leather. Men in this area also wore the embroidered szűr and suba.

Among the numerous folk costumes of eastern Transdanubia, which varied from village to village, that of the village of Fadd in Tolna County is the most interesting. One of its most archaic features is the women’s blouse, which is so short that it does not even reach the waist. The petticoat (pendely) was worn even on holidays, and served as the bottom {343.} skirt. The bodice was sewn together with the skirt. Shoulder shawls and jewellery were found here, just as in the Sárköz. Sheepskin jackets (ködmön) and red boots completed this attractive costume.

The folk costume of Sióagárd (Tolna County) is characterized by a short coat, made of silk, worn over the blouse-like, narrow-waisted shirt. The apron is embroidered richly with colourful yarn, as is the bodice in recent times. Cloth slippers are worn with colourfully patterned, thick stockings (cf. Plate XII).

Regional Forms of Hungarian Folk Costumes

CONTENTS

Upper Hungary