What’s everyone listening to now that’s new, good, hot - or maybe old but has captured your ear again? I’m really into Muhely Banda’s new CD, Vagjunk Bele. On Apple Music it’s https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/m%C5%B1hely-banda/1872092711, on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/0VDks0fhVKtBGZSm7SBl6G?si=8HqlmU3eQfeWKjoyJ-pVBg . They are out of Marosvasarhely, one of the violinists is Kicsi (Bartis Zoltan) who’s been to Canada before. My favorite song is “FriciGeza fantazia”, about halfway through after the friss there is a halgato which is dynamite.

https://nka.hu/kiemelt-kategoriak/palyaztatas/kollegiumok-felhivasai/a-hagyomany-es-ismeretatadas-kollegiuma-nepmuveszet-szakterulet-nyilt-palyazati-felhivasa/

In an April 2012 article in FolkMagazin which has recently been making its rounds on Facebook, there was a transcription of a Transylvanian villager from Korond talking about how dancing to live music happened in village dance halls. I think it’s a wonderful and important reminder of what I perceive to be somewhat of a lost art of dancing to live music (whether or not there are microphones involved). I would like to see Tanchaz dancers adopt “back” to these customs and traditions, because they make so much sense, including from the perspective of a musician, but also in terms of community and the development of dancers. The most important take-away points, I think, are that the dancers in the room should move/circulate; no one is “entitled” to be in front of the band the whole time; depending on where you are, who you’re in front of, and who you’re dancing with your style/approach should adjust; and the contact/relationship with the musicians is critical. THOUGHTS, COMMENTS? “In the dance hall, the dancing did not stay in one place — the dancer did not stand still and dance in a fixed spot — but rather the dancing community, that crowd, swirled from left to right. It was very crowded, yet everyone found their own place, and the dancers never knocked into one another, they were so careful…. Now, as the dance went around the room like this, the couples danced differently in different parts of the hall, because dancing in front of the band was quite different — there you had to show your musical ability in front of the musicians. And let me stop here! The musicians would actually call out to a truly fine dancing couple, to a good dancing lad: ‘Don’t move on, stay here, there’s a cup of wine for you!’ — because it was easier to play music after a good dancing lad, since his rhythm was sure, his musicality was sure; the musician watched him and then played very confidently and effortlessly. When the couple moved on from there, this section — the part near the musicians, moving to the left — was typically where the men stood, and here you had to dance seriously, in a manly way, you had to show that you were a lad, and not just any lad. So here the men expected to see that their son had good posture, was solidly built, and not someone who would fall on his backside for any reason….

I'm sure this is relatable to some of you, but at a Tanchaz during moldvai, when this song comes up, I wouldn't know the words, but at the end of every line, I would go "szederinda-rinda!" Knowing how to sing the song makes this dance so much more enjoyable. Down below is a YouTube video of the Hojna (Szederinda-rinda), and these are the lyrics: Elindultam szőrt kötni, szederinda-rinda, Elindultam szőrt kötni, szederinda-rinda. Hát a szőrrel mit csinálsz? szederinda-rinda, Hát a szőrrel mit csinálsz? szederinda-rinda. Szitát kötök belőle, szederinda-rinda, Szitát kötök belőle, szederinda-rinda. A szitával mit csinálsz? szederinda-rinda, A szitával mit csinálsz? szederinda-rinda. Lisztet szitálgatok véle, szederinda-rinda, Lisztet szitálgatok véle, szederinda-rinda. Hát a liszttel mit csinálsz, szederinda-rinda, Hát a liszttel mit csinálsz, szederinda-rinda. Málét sütök belőle, szederinda-rinda, Málét sütök belőle, szederinda-rinda. A máléval mit csinálsz? szederinda-rinda, A máléval mit csinálsz? szederinda-rinda. Szeretőt fogadok véle, szederinda-rinda, Szeretőt fogadok véle, szederinda-rinda. Szeretővel mit csinálsz? szederinda-rinda, Szeretővel mit csinálsz? szederinda-rinda. Nappal véle kapálgatok, szederinda-rinda, Nappal véle kapálgatok, szederinda-rinda. Éjjel véle hálogatok, szederinda-rinda, Éjjel véle hálogatok, szederinda-rinda.

🇭🇺 Magyar fordítás lent. / Hungarian translation below. Wearing my Hungarian Folk Life Festival shirt on the way to Midland for a pilgrimage to Martyrs' Shrine, celebrating the church's 100th anniversary. We were asked to wear red, white, or green so our group of Hungarian pilgrims would be easy to spot. I briefly wondered whether I should have worn a folk vest to make the outfit a little more "folk," but it would have covered the logo and today's going to be hot. More importantly, this pilgrimage has prompted me to reflect on how I'm reconnecting my Hungarian roots with my spiritual ones. Lately I've been wondering whether we've "Disney-fied" folk culture, at least in the North American táncház movement. We preserve the costumes, dances, songs, and festivals, but often separate them from the Christian faith and village life that gave them meaning. Historically, these weren't simply performances or hobbies—they were woven into the liturgical year, family life, and the rhythm of village life. What if, by separating folk traditions from the Christian worldview and village life that shaped them, we've lost something essential? If so, what have we already lost? What still remains? Perhaps the future of Hungarian folk culture isn't only about preserving dances, music, or embroidery. Perhaps it's also about recovering the way of life that made those traditions meaningful in the first place. Not as a reenactment of the past, but as a living tradition for today. Just something I've been reflecting on during today's pilgrimage. ──────────────────── 🇭🇺 A Hungarian Folk Life Festival pólómban úton vagyok Midlandbe, a Martyrs' Shrine zarándoklatára, ahol a templom 100. évfordulóját ünnepeljük. Arra kértek bennünket, hogy pirosat, fehéret vagy zöldet viseljünk, hogy a magyar zarándokcsoport könnyen felismerhető legyen. Eszembe jutott, hogy talán fel kellett volna vennem egy népi mellényt, hogy még népiesebb legyen az öltözetem, de az eltakarta volna a póló logóját, és ma elég meleg lesz.