This year the Whitsun Heritage Festival (June 4-5) was held in a great atmosphere in the Hungarian Open Air Museum (Skanzen). The invited communities from different parts of the country presented their customs, crafts and oral traditions, which are represented on the Intangible Cultural Heritage National List and Best Safeguarding Practices.
The visitors found themselves in a very colourful crowd. They could have met, among others, with the Busó (tradition-keepers from Mohács), the craftmen of blue-dyeing, the traditional dressed communities of Kalocsa and Matyó-land. They could have listened to the songs of the students from Selmecbánya and the music of the Rajkó-method’s artists. The guests could also have seen the special wedding march of the Fir-tree performed by the Slovenians of the Raba Region. The delicious, freshly cooked mutton stew of Karcag, fish soup of Baja and ‘Molnárkalács’ of Borsodnádasd could have smelled all around the museum. These dishes could have been tasted too.
During the weekend every community got a building from the areas of the museum. There were Arts and Crafts, for example lace making could be tried out. Moreover gastronomic workshops, dance teaching and music performances were held. The varied programmes were complemented by marches and stage shows, also with the starring communities.
Whitsun taditions were presented by children folk dance groups. The girls presented the custom of the Whitsun Queen and the boys played traditonal games.
The celebration was preceded by a professional conference, focusing on the research results of the intangible cultural heritage and its utilization in heritage safeguarding. At the end of the day, the communities with their ribbons, decorated the ‘heritage tree’, which also meant the beginning of the programme.
The responsible institution for the professional coordinating of the UNESCO Convention in Hungary:
Directorate of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Hungarian Open Air Museum
