Pentecost Heritage Festival to Celebrate Folk Traditions at Szentendre Skanzen

Sustainability and dance will be the focus of the Pentecost Heritage Festival on June 8 and 9, reads the press release by the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum (Skanzen) in Szentendre. The organizers emphasize that the event will feature a joint meeting of intellectual cultural heritage, country house communities, and local tradition keepers at the museum. During the two days, everyone will have the opportunity to learn in detail about the diverse traditions of Hungarian culture and the communities that preserve these customs.

The 14th edition of the program places special emphasis on visitors not only being observers but also active participants in the events. During the two days of the event, 55 communities, including rural country house communities and members of various tradition-preserving groups, will celebrate together with those interested, says the press release.

They add that,

in addition to more than 300 dancers and musicians performing live, children’s dance groups will also take part in the program, that will include a revival of the tradition of the Pentecost “queen-walking” (királyné-járás).

Fact

Based on 20th-century descriptions, two types of Pentecost “queen-walking” customs can be distinguished: one variant was widespread in the Great Plain and northeastern Hungary, while the other was common in Transdanubia, where it was still a living folk custom in many places even in the 1960s.

The Great Plain variant can also be classified into several variations. In some regions, the Pentecost queen was the central character, who stood out with her clothes and decorations, while in others, similar to a wedding procession, there were characters like a bride, groom, best man, and bridesmaids, but in some cases, no distinct characters were chosen.

In the Transdanubian versions, the characters were young girls. The essence of the custom is as follows: usually four girls led a younger girl, the Pentecost Queen, from house to house. The little girl wore a white dress, a wreath of flowers on her head, and carried a basket filled with flower petals. A red or red-patterned scarf was stretched over the little queen’s head like a canopy, or she was covered with a veil.

According to the press release, in addition to the stage programs, visitors will be able to learn about falconry, gold embroidery of Deszk, Mende-Maglód Pentecostal church decorations, and the Kalocsa folk art.

Those who are adventurous can try their hand at a number of crafts. The country houses will showcase traditional costumes, children’s games, embroidery techniques, and traditional foods typical of their region.

The highlight of the festival program on both days will be the afternoon dance, during which all dancers and traditional communities will dance the ‘Csárdás‘ together.

At this year’s Pentecost Heritage Festival, 18 traditional folk dance groups will present and teach the tradition of the ‘Csárdás’ to those interested.

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Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd

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