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A celebration of traditional Hungarian folk culture in Transylvania. Over 140 color photographs reveal the powerful vestiges of an ancient culture that has changed little over time. The images focus on traditional music and dance — integral parts of village existence — and the culture that guards and preserves them. Each picture is transformed by the photographer’s anecdotes from over a decade in the region. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Preservation of a culture
Through beautiful sensitive photographs the book takes us on a decade-long journey through traditional folk life in the small hidden Hungarian villages of old Hungary (Romania). Full color and black and white, they reveal the still powerful vestiges of an ancient culture that is still preserved in spite of the quicken eastern tide of westernism. Hardcover, this coffee-table book is bilingual (Hungarian/English) and focuses on the music and dance traditions - integral parts of village existence - and the ancient culture that surrounds and preserves it; some which are part of a 300-year old musical dynasty and others originating in the Middle Ages. The images explore the ancient folklore which is still learned by the passing of these traditions from one generation to the next, from the remaining still living legends. Many of these 'last generation' Transylvanians in the book have died leaving a smaller and smaller 'next generation' to preserve the traditions. Each photograph is transformed by personal stories.

Hidden Treasure: Colorful Culture, History, People
The photographer captured unique images revealing the folk culture and lifestyle of the Hungarian people in many regions of Transylvania: Szek, Mezoseg, Kalotaszeg, Mera, Kolozsvar and Gyimes and many smaller villages such as, Korosfo, Magyarvalko, and Valaszut. This book is a *must* have for anyone who loves folk culture, traditional folk arts, and is captivated by the natural beauty of the Carpathian Mountains. The photos reveal so much about a way of life that is slowly giving away to modernization. Yet, in Oct. 2001, when I met a Transylvanian lady selling embroidery at a Wine Festival in Mor Hungary, she adamantly declared, "I will never give up wearing my traditional clothes for modern outfits". She was seconded by another lady wearing a regional outfit who was selling her goods in the next booth. Complex patterns and multi-colored embroidery on folk costumes of young women and girls and men's and boy's vests are just one example of the hidden treasures contained in this wonderful book. The photographer captured the faces of people of many ages engaging in the activities of life. He caught splendid images of a lifestyle and culture that is worth preserving and remembering.

The natural beauty of the Carpathian Mountains with its dense forest hides villages and peasant homes that have intricately carved wooden trim decorating the eaves and elaborately decorated carved wooden gates. Onion domed churches and small chapels built of wood with carved entrances and shingled roofs are photographed for our enjoyment. The natural rhythms of life are captured in splendid magnificence.

The author had been a traditional folk dancer for many years and had performed with a traditional folk dance group which piqued his interest in the Hungarian culture. He became in his words "enthralled" by the music and dance of Hungary and Transylvania. His brief autobiography in this book reads like a fictional novel as his involvement with folk dance and traditional folk music grew into meeting some of the big name musicians and folk artists who help keep this culture alive. It culminated in his moving to Hungary in 1995 and participating in its modern history. Most highly recommended book.
Erika Borsos (erikab93) ... Read more

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Coloured Phenomonenons: a portfolio of 16 full color prints of paintings of historical significance by famous Hungarian artists, from 1000 AD to 1941, issued to accompany the hard cover book. ... Read more

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Chapters: Hungarian Lgbt-Related Films, Lgbt Culture in Hungary, Lgbt People From Hungary, Lgbt Rights in Hungary, Budapest Pride, Vándormások, Elmyr de Hory, György Faludy, Franz Nopcsa Von Felső-Szilvás, Balázs Birtalan, Karl-Maria Kertbeny, Gábor Szetey, Colonel Redl, Another Way, Visconti Triplets. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 67. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Budapest Pride is Hungary's largest annual LGBT event. It has historically been known under several names, including Budapest Gay Dignity Procession (Hungarian: ) or simply "happy parade" (Hungarian: ). The parade has taken place each year since 1997, usually on the first Saturday of July, proceeding along Budapests most expansive thoroughfare, Andrássy Avenue, between the City Park (Városliget) and Elizabeth Square (Erzsébet tér). Though much smaller in scale than similar gay pride parades in Western Europe and the Americas, between a thousand and two thousand marchers typically participate in the Budapest procession. Radical right-wing demonstrators and hooligans have severely disrupted the Budapest gay parades held in 2007 and 2008, casting uncertainty over the future of the event. In March 2010 the date of the Budapest Pride 2010 had been announced and it will be the 15th anniversary of the event, held between 4 and 11 July 2010 (one week LGBT cultural fasival with pride marching on saturday). There was only a smattering of public protest against the first eleven Budapest gay parades, until the one held in July 2007. In 2003, prominent right-wing radical György Budaházy and a group of about 30 anti-gay protestors blew whistles and chanted slogans such as "dirty queers" at marchers as the parade crossed the Elizabeth Bridge. In 2004, a few activists from the center-right Christian-Democratic Hungarian Demo...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=18367052 ... Read more

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Chapters: Finnic Peoples, Ugric Peoples, Khanty People, Hungarian People, Fenni, Chud, Ananian Culture, Mansi. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 60. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Hungarian Hungarians (or Magyars, in Hungarian: ) are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary, a Central European state, and its predecessor states (the Kingdom of Hungary and the People's Republic of Hungary). There are around 14 million Hungarians, of whom 10 million live in today's Hungary (as of 2001). About 2.5 million Hungarians live in areas that belonged to (the Kingdom of) Hungary before the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, but are now parts of Hungary's seven neighbour countries, especially Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine. Significant groups of people with Hungarian ancestry live in various other parts of the world (most of them in the United States), but unlike the Hungarians living within the territory of pre-1920 Hungary, only some of these largely preserve the Hungarian language and traditions. The Hungarians can be classified in several sub-groups according to local linguistic and cultural characteristics. Hungarian ethnic subgroups with distinct identity are the Székely, the Csángó, the Palóc and the Jassic people. The word "Hungarian" is thought to be derived from the Bulgar-Turkic Onogur, possibly because the Magyars were neighbours (or confederates) of the Empire of the Onogurs in the sixth century, whose leading tribal union was called the "Onogurs" (meaning "ten tribes" or "ten arrows" in Old Turkic; see below). The "H-" prefix in many languages (Hungarians, Hongrois, Hungarus etc.) is a later addition. It was taken over from the name of the Huns, a semi-nomadic tribe that briefly lived in the area of present-day Hungary and, according to medieval legends, were the people fr...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=17106358 ... Read more