# Footwear

The extremely varied Hungarian footwear of earlier times became more similar from the last century on, even in colour. One of the oldest forms of footwear is the bocskor (laced-up sandal). Although the origin of the word is not known, we know that the word was borrowed from the Hungarians by the neighbouring Slavic peoples, which indirectly proves its antiquity. This type of footwear is without a doubt one of the most ancient, and its antiquity is proved not only by records but also by lyrics of minstrel songs, which mention the birchbark sandals of the minstrels of the first Hungarian king, Stephen I (997–1038). The related Finn-Ugric peoples wore similar footwear until recent times. It appears that different versions of the bocskor were worn even by the nobility in the 17th century, as it was noted that the poet Miklós Zrínyi wore a “full laced-up sandal” on the hunt that ended so tragically with the loss of his life.

Fig. 171. The preparation of “Magyar” sandals (bocskor).
Nagyecsed, former Szatmár County. 1920s

The bocskor was the most generally-worn footwear of Eastern Europe. A round- and wrinkle-toed version was worn in the Great Plain. There were loops (telek) or openings on the edge of the telkes bocskor, which was fastened to the shin with thongs that were pulled through them. The majority of the different bocskors of Transylvania are {333.} pointed and sewn all the way down along the toe. The covered sandals (fedeles bocskor) used in the southern part of the Great Plain and in Transdanubia were made up of two parts and the front was completely closed. Herdsmen wore the bocskor longest. The harvesters made them for themselves out of boot-tops because this light wear provides good protection against rough stubble. The surrounding peoples (Rumanians and Serbs) preserved this old-fashioned footwear longer than the Hungarians.

The bocskor was rarely worn with bare feet, except sometimes in the summer. In the winter and in rainy weather people wrapped their feet with a foot cloth (kapca) made of leather, wool or linen, smeared thoroughly with lard to make it more resistant against cold and water. In some areas (Tiszántúl, Palócföld) leggings were wrapped above the bocskor to protect the shins. These were made of leather and laced up with thongs through the holes on the sides. This became the transition to boots.

Fig. 172. Boots.
a) A red boot for a woman, the type sewn at the back. Mezőkövesd. First half of 20th century. b) The type sewn on the side with a nailed-on sole. Rimóc, Nógrád County. First half of 20th century

Among the boots the saru (a kind of sandal) appears to be the most ancient and is a scarcely remembered form. The word is a pre-Conquest word adopted from Turkic. During the saru’s long historical development, many different kinds of footwear were included in the meaning of this word. From the surviving examples and notations one element seems especially permanent, an element which, among others, differentiates it from the boot: that is, its upper part is sewn to the sole by turning it outward, which made it possible to use not just one but, according to need, two or three soles. This solution is related to various western types of footwear.

The word csizma (boot) appears first in the last years of the 15th century, but it is undoubtedly Ottoman Turkish in origin and perhaps came to Hungary through south Slavic intermediation. The boot is a high-topped type of footwear sewn together at first on the two sides. Its toe was pointed and, in many cases, turned upward. The sole is sewn, then turned. Its heel is carved out of wood, the leather turned down over it, and a heel iron fastened to it. At first only the upper class wore it, and while the peasantry began to take on its use only in the 18th century, it became really widely used only in the 19th century and often (e.g. Székelyland) only at the end of the century.

The boot is generally a festive form of footwear. The men’s are black almost without exception, and ornamentation was put on them only now and then. The young men liked to put spurs on them, so they could beat out the rhythm during dancing. Since the beginning of this century the technique of making boots has changed, and now the upper part is sewn together on the back. Women wore many different kinds of coloured boots, mainly red and yellow. They embellished the top with embroidery, studded the heel with nails, and put a copper heel iron on it (Kalotaszeg). Variously shaped shoes have begun to replace boots only during the last decades.

Carters and other men doing work standing in the cold wore the botos. This word, supposedly medieval in origin and known throughout Europe, was perhaps introduced by the French settlers. The botos is made by the hatmakers out of felt and broadcloth. Later the word botos {334.} was used to designate a leather-soled boot, only the top part of which was made of broadcloth or felt. The bakancs (ankle boot), the name of which is very likely the derivative of the word boka (ankle), appeared at the beginning of the 16th century. It is a type of footwear reaching the ankle, and in every period was used for work.

Women’s light footwear, worn less frequently by men, is called the papucs (slipper). Ottoman Turkish in origin, it appeared first in the second half of the 16th century. It consists of two parts, an upper part which covers the foot, and the sole. The slippers of younger women and girls have higher heels and the upper part is richly embroidered, especially in areas where they wear colourful, knitted stockings with them on holidays. Older women and men wear lower heeled or heelless slippers. Men fasten them to their feet with thongs. Wearing slippers was originally confined to the southern Great Plain, where the most outstanding slipper-makers worked (Szeged).