By:
Maria
Toth
Forwarded
by Chicago Donauschwaben
Jugendleiterin Rose Hauer and I departed Chicago on June 13 to
attend the second Donauschwaben Welttreffen
(World Conference). Individuals
and groups from throughout Europe, Brazil, Canada, and the USA
(Chicago Donauschwaben, Chicago American Aid Society, Cincinnati,
Detroit, St. Louis) would meet in Harkány, Hungary from June 16
through June 28. We
attended workshops, lectures, and toured southern Hungary (Baranya
County) in order to learn more about our Donauschwaben heritage and
preserve our unique traditions for future generations.
Along the way, we built friendships and experienced moments
that we would never forget.
Rose and I arrived in Harkány, Hungary on June 16, after a
three and a half hour bus ride by coach bus from the Budapest airport.
We met Stefan Ihas, the representative for the Donauschwaben
youth groups in Europe, as well as other individuals from all over the
world who had come to represent their clubs and take part in this
second World Conference. Our
group numbered about 65.
While in Harkány, Rose and I stayed at “Pension Otto” a
charming bed and breakfast located in the heart of town.
We were within walking distance of the famous mineral spa and
pools, small cafés, restaurants, ice cream shops, and the flea
market. Harkány is a
small town of about 4,000, located in southern Transdanubia, in
Baranya County (“Branau” in German).
Baranya County has the largest number of minorities in Hungary
(more than twice the country average) – 34% of the German minority
lives there. We were able
to speak German in many of the shops and restaurants.
While in Hungary, we were videotaped and some members of our
group were interviewed by a Hungarian television station (MTV videótár).
Each week, this station produces half-hour “video magazine”
programs in the German language for its viewers.
The programs are close-captioned in Hungarian as well.
To view the program about our trip, see:
http://videotar.mtv.hu/Videok/2011/07/19/14/
Unser_Bildschirm_2011_julius_19_.aspx
We were taught traditional folk dances in dance workshops led
by Judit Mausz, Eva Treitz from the Babarc Tanzgruppe, and Peter
Schweininger from the Saar Tanzgruppe.
In addition, we sang and learned new songs from the Wemender
Quartett.
One of our group’s first outings was to the Schwabenball in Görcsöndoboka,
also known by its German name of Ketsching.
After a meeting and photo opportunity with the town’s Mayor,
we strolled around the streets of this small farming community before
returning for dinner, various singing and dancing performances, and a
night of dancing to a German Blaskapelle (brass band). Many
of the local women were dressed in their finest Trachten
(traditional costumes). They
wore long-sleeved white embroidered blouses topped with black vests
and red fringed Halstücher (shawls). Their
knife-pleated silk skirts reached down to their mid-calves and were
worn over four very stiffly starched Unterröcke
(petticoats). A few of the
older women wore black hand-knit Patschker
(slippers) which were embroidered with small flowers and red trim.
We also drove to Mohács (Mohatsch) on the Danube River.
Our group of Donauschwaben sent its greetings to the “alte
Heimat” as a wreath was lowered into the Danube.
We all watched as it floated downstream.
From there, we drove on to Babarc.
Our group was invited to the 30th Anniversary
celebration of the Babarc (Bawarz) Tanzgruppe.
We attended Mass in the town’s church, celebrated by Pfarrer
Peter Zillich. The members
of the choir were occasionally accompanied by Pfarrer Zillich on his
accordion. Under the
direction of Eva Treitz, the Babarc Tanzgruppe performed their most
popular folk dances for the large crowd.
We attended lectures on the history of the Donauschwaben by
Franz Heilig and the Memorial Monuments Erected in the Extermination
Camps of the Former Yugoslavia by Josef Jerger.
Herr Jerger reminded us that the importance of these monuments
is two-fold: to honor
those who died in the camps; and to raise awareness of the current
residents of those towns so that they know that the Donauschwaben once
inhabited their lands and of the atrocities that took place against
them. We learned that the
memorial monuments were built solely with private funds, costing
between $14,000 and $17,000 to erect each one.
Each morning, one of the organizers, Anna Fernbach, would read
her Wort des Tages to get
the group in the proper mind-set for the day’s activities.
On the morning of June 22, Anna read a poem about the Heimat
and the unspeakable tragedies that occurred to the Donauschwaben in
the labor camps. We then
boarded our bus and drove from Hungary through a portion of Croatia
into Serbia until we reached the Massenfriedhof
(mass graves) in Gakowa, Serbia. This
was one of Tito’s worst concentration camps; over 8,000 innocent
men, women, and children lost their lives in this forced labor camp
and are buried together in a mass grave.
This part of our journey had particular meaning for me.
My father was held in this camp as a young boy along with his
Oma and Opa. His
grandparents died of starvation and are among the thousands buried
there. Our Donauschwaben
group placed a wreath at the foot of the towering memorial cross and
recited prayers in German for those who lost their lives at this camp.
Our group also went to visit a now-retired Meister
Blaufärber (master blue fabric-dyeing craftsman).
János Sárdi lives in a town called Nagynyárád (Groβnarad).
He is known throughout southern Hungary for his beautiful
fabrics which are used in many restaurants, wine cellars, and private
homes. Herr Sárdi is 91
years old and is one of a dying breed – his craft is no longer
taught or practiced. He
welcomed us into his home studio where he explained the intricacies of
his craft and led us on a tour of his shop.
He has a room filled with molds (copper pieces which he
meticulously nailed and imbedded into a wooden base).
These molds were used in a fashion similar to rubber stamping.
He demonstrated by dipping the mold into a colored wax-based
resin and then “stamped” the image onto white cotton fabric and
allowed it to dry. The
fabric is then dipped numerous times into deep vats of indigo-blue
liquid dye. Once the
fabric is dry, a chemical solution is used to remove the wax-based
resin. The area where the
wax impression formerly was is now white against the dark blue fabric.
The yards of fabric that were dyed are stretched and heated on
large roller machines, giving them a glossy finish.
This blue fabric was sewn into clothing, aprons, table
coverings, napkins, curtains, and accent pieces.
We also attended workshops on Donauschwaben healing methods and
superstitions; learned to knot the silk fringe on the bottom of
traditional shawls (Franzen knüpfen);
and created Kukuruz Puppen
(cornhusk dolls).
My companions and I also witnessed a re-creation of a schwowische
Hochzeit (Donauschwaben Wedding) as it would have taken place
during my Oma’s time. Our
group watched older Donauschwaben ladies of the town of Véménd (Wemend)
dress a young woman from the Wemend Tanzgruppe in a Hochzeitstracht
(Wedding costume). Accompanied
by a brass band, we marched from the bride’s house to the town’s
church and then to the dance hall, where we had a traditional dinner
of Sarma (stuffed cabbage)
and watched folk dancing and a demonstration of how the wedding gifts
would have been presented to the newly married “couple”.
One of our side trips took us to the city of Pécs (Fünfkirchen).
Pécs was designated Europe’s Cultural Capital for the year
2010. We were fortunate to
have a local serve as our tour guide; he took us on a walking tour of
the city, sharing many interesting pieces of trivia and history with
us. We learned that the
Ottoman Turks ruled Hungary for 150 years and that Pécs was one of
their main cities. There
are still many remnants of the Turkish empire to be seen.
A former Moschee
(mosque) has been renovated into a Christian church, with most of the
Muslim architecture still visible.
Another day trip took us to the town of Liptód.
We were greeted with Schnaps, wine, chamomile tea, and pans of
freshly-baked Zwiebelbrot (onion bread). Here,
schwowisch-speaking men and women showed us how to make Saueres
(a hearty soup using many different parts of the butchered pig), Ungarische
Bratwurst (Hungarian sausage), Sarma,
and three kinds of Strudel
(apple, cheese, and cherry). We
were encouraged to help out in the kitchen, walk through the
vineyards, explore the town, and climb up the steep hills to Herr
Markesz’ private wine cellar (and sample some of the region’s
finest wines). The view
from his wine cellar to the town below was breath-taking!
This trip was an unforgettable learning experience for Rose and
me.
The culture and heritage of the Donauschwaben people is unique
and I am proud of my ancestry. The
chance to step back in time and experience life as it was for my
forebearers living in southern Hungary (the maternal side of my family
are from Tolna County – Tolnau Bezirk) is one that I will always treasure.
There was a nice balance to the amount of workshops, lectures,
and tours. The presenters
at the dancing and singing workshops and the various lectures were
outstanding! They
wholeheartedly shared their expertise with us, were enthusiastic, and
always happy to answer any questions.
The second World Conference was a success and helped me to very
concretely visualize so many of the stories I have heard from my
grandparents and parents over the years.
Stepping back in time to experience the old Heimat
was a privilege. I have
personally shared my experiences with my three daughters and Rose and
I have put together a visual presentation for our Vorstand,
Jugendgruppe, and Frauengruppe. Although
they were not able to join us, we want them to be able to share in our
multi-faceted experiences.
Many thanks to our Vorstand
and the Frauengruppe for their financial support; and to the
Donauschwaben Weltdachverband for encouraging members of their various
cultural groups to partake of this second World Conference!
