# Upper Hungary

The largest ethnic unit of the Highlands is the Palots (palóc), within which certain groups can be differentiated on the basis of their folk costumes. A few smaller groups towards the south are known primarily because of their rich folk costumes and are also included in our description.

189. Dressing the newly wed wife
Kazár, Nógrád County

190. Young Palots wives
Ludány, Nógrád County

Many people have admired the varied and beautiful headdresses of the {344.} Palots women. Sándor Petőfi, among others, wrote as follows when he travelled through the land of the Palots on foot: “I went from Losonc to Balassagyarmat... the village of Ludány was on the way, where I saw the most beautiful bonnets in my life. When I get married, I will have one brought from there for my wife.” The coifs in Őrhalom-Hugyag are similar, although there are differences even within the region. Here even the homespun linen was fulled and used for underwear. Shoulder shawls were not worn from the beginning of the century, and as a consequence, the bodice neck became closed and was richly ornamented. The skirt is the most characteristic part of the local costume. It reached to mid-calf or even to the ankle, and is made of heavy brocade and velvet with ornate fringes for holiday use, or of lighter blue-dyed material for everyday use. A homespun apron, patterned with red, was tied in the front. A half century ago this was replaced by an apron made from the same material as the skirt. Men’s clothing is much more simple. The basis of it is a suit made of black broadcloth. They also wore the suba and the szűr and {345.} different versions of the sheepskin ködmön. Boots are generally worn as holiday footwear.

The folk costumes of several villages around Szécsény (Hollókő, Rimóc, Lóc) show numerous similar characteristics. Colourful ribbons embellish the girls’ braids, while the composite headdress and headkerchief of married women covers part of their foreheads. The young girls wear light-coloured beads, the middle-aged women wear blue and green necklaces, but it is considered improper for older women to wear any beads at all. The shirt is usually made of linen, although they also used tulle. On top of that goes the narrowly folded shawl, so that most of the shirt remains visible. The embroidered leather bodice was worn mostly by the more prosperous people. Women liked to use blue-dyed material for skirts, as its dark colour set off the apron, which reached almost all the way around the short skirt, so short that its wearer’s calf was visible above the top of the boot. The men of Lóc and Hollókő wore modestly embroidered linen shirts and black vests ornamented with red, green, or black buttons, according to the wearer’s age. The black satin apron, which was colourfully embroidered on the bottom, was generally worn.

The folk costume of Buják is considered extreme in many respects. The girls’ hair, braided into a single braid, is decorated with a ribbon tied only on the end. The married women wear a very peculiar headdress, on top of which they fasten a bouquet made of silver and gold yarn and beads. They wear multiple necklaces. The wide sleeves of the bodice, together with the upright flounce of the shoulder shawl, emphasize the upper body. The most striking elements, however, are the skirts, many of which are worn at the same time, and which are the shortest of all the Hungarian costumes. A ribbon of a contrasting colour is added to the bottom of the skirts, which creates the effect of a frill. Women began wearing shoes in the summer a relatively long time ago, while continuing to wear boots in the winter. White stockings are worn with both shoes and boots.

The costume of Kazár-Maconka has a beauty all of its own, and here our attention is drawn first of all to the headdresses of married women (cf. Plate XIII). These are put together from many pieces: the ribbon frills, beads and golden lace arranged artistically, with colourful ribbons hanging down to the bottom of the skirt. On holidays women wear two blouses. One is starched, and on top of it they put a second blouse, made of tulle or cambric and cover it with a shoulder shawl tied across the chest. This is also a many-skirted costume, the top skirt often made of cashmere and joined to the bodice. An apron, sewn out of the same material as the top skirt, covered with embroidery, goes on in front. In the winter women wore a sheepskin ködmön embroidered with silk. The bridegroom presented the bride with a broadcloth short coat called mente, trimmed with braid and fox fur, and worn with a pair of red boots. This custom, however, survives today only in the memories of the older women. The men’s top is of corduroy, specially ornamented with rows of white buttons.

191. Girls and a young woman
Tard, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County

192. Girls from the village Boldog
Boldog, Pest County

193. Young agrarian labourer in her best clothes
Tard, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County

194. Old woman wearing a sheepskin kuzsu
Mezőkövesd

It is also worth noting the costume of Karancsság. The headdress of the new bride, lavishly ornamented with white embroidery, roses, and {348.} ribbons, is quite special. The apron is made out of the same material as the skirts, so that it is no longer conspicuous and it is often left off. A colourful shoulder shawl is generally worn.

195. Bride and bridegroom
Mezőkövesd

The rich folk costume of several villages along the Galga (Boldog, Galgamácsa, Tura) has begun to flower in this century. The headdress of the women of Tura, which is held out at the sides by the kerchief tied above it, deserves special mention. The girls of Galgamácsa tie a ribbon in their hair, which is braided into three strands; the headdress of the married women is decorated with gold lace, and the young women put a veil over it. The fine detailed embroidery with small-flower patterns ornamenting both the shirt sleeves and shoulder shawls of Tura are also very interesting. Dark-coloured cotton skirts are pleated into small folds and an apron of blue-dyed material is tied in the front. The girls of Galgamácsa wear a red skirt trimmed with black over 5 or 6 underskirts. This, with a blue apron and colourful shoulder shawl, gives an extremely lively colour effect. The older women edge their dark blue {350.} skirt with red. Shoes have been worn in the summer for a long time, but boots also survived until today as winter footwear. Many of the men from the village used to work for the railway, which meant an esteemed social rank, and the men’s wear of Tura is based on this uniform. The suit was made of dark blue broadcloth with a red collar-patch, and trousers fitted to low boots or shoes. This suit was also worn by men who had no connection whatsoever with the railway. This example also shows that many divergent sources influence and affect folk costume.

The Matyó folk costume flourished in Mezőkövesd and Szentistván (cf. Ill. 37), but many of its attributes had an impact over a larger area, especially towards the north (cf. Ill. 18). The Matyó women’s attire is unique, being seemingly Gothic in line. As opposed to the wearers of the other costumes, the silhouette of the women and girls is tall and slender. This effect is achieved by the headdress ending in a peak and by a skirt which is narrow at the waist and widening out only at the ankle, where it stands out in a circle and makes for a rhythmic movement. The bodice and shoulder shawl are worn over a shirt with wide silk sleeves. Various blouses came into use fairly early and turned the shirt into underwear. The material of the skirts was cashmere, silk or satin, or later artificial silk; under the top skirt is a shorter petticoat often made out of one hundred metres of material. The lower part of the long, narrow apron is richly embroidered, which further emphasizes the vertical line of the costume. The Matyó women’s costumes were so expensive that girls of poor social standing had to work very hard for many years as day labourers and as seasonal workers to earn the price. They did this because the poor people did not want to be outdone by the rich, shown by the proverb: “Let it grumble, so long as it’ll sparkle,” meaning, they often had to starve in order to buy the extravagant outfit.

The sleeves of the Matyó young men’s shirts are so loose and long that they cover the entire hand. The collar, shoulder, and front of the shirt are embellished with colourful embroidery. Pantaloons were worn with the shirts. They reached to mid-calf, were extremely loose, and fringed at the bottom. Wearing of broadcloth breeches commenced at the beginning of this century. On Sundays boots were worn with either the pantaloons or with trousers. Young men put a high hat on their head, with a big bouquet and a wide ribbon, the so-called Barczi kalap. According to tradition, there was a short lad, the son of a village judge, who made this kind of hat fashionable during the last century in order to make himself taller.

The Matyó child was dressed in a way similar to the adults. The first garment, cut very large, was given to the child by its godparents. Little boys’ festive shirts were sewn just as loosely and were ornamented in the same way as those of the young men. Little boys also wore a hat with a bouquet on it. Little girls’ skirts, like that of the adults, reached to the ankle, widening at the bottom; on holidays they also wore a shortsleeved silk blouse. Their embroidered aprons were fringed with silk, and their skirts were ornamented with lace.