The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-12-05
Hungarian Fair.n.


The four annual fairs held at Pesth,
though they have declined Of late, are of
much importance, and supply half of
Hungary with their commodities sold or
exchanged for honey, hides, wool, wax
and shbowitza, a species of brandy pre-
pared from plums, and fully as fiery as
the Russian vodka. On these occasions
the peasants flock in from every part of
the kingdom, and in their varied end
striking costumes make fine subject for
the artists pencil. Many of them look
as if they might have stepped out of the
fourteenth or fifteenth century, for they
have any thing but modern appearance,
attired in their strange garb, frequently
wearing leather jenkins and uudressed
skins They are very light-hearted and
merry, as a rule, and dance and sing,
laugh and love, tipple and quarrel after
the manner of cOntemporaneOus Irish
men. They give foreigner far better
insight into the national character than
do those in the upper ranks Of life
They are ignorant, and, for the most
part, superstitious; but they are sturdy
and independent and exceedingly patri-
otto, holding that God created Hungary,
and that it matters very little who is re-
spOnsible for the remainder of the world.
They delight to ride on horseback, being
very skillful, and scamper over the
broad plain like Bedouins of the desert.
Both sexes take part in this recreation,
and have often seen a man and woman
dashing franticaly along on the back Of
one steed, who, when weary Of carrying
them, would kick them off, and they
would roll in the dust with superabund-
ant satisfaction They teach their horse
al manner Of tricks, especially that of
unseating their rider, and this part of the
equine education is grotesquely displayed
at the fairs. The peasants lay wagers
with each other as to their ability to stick
to the back of brilliantly performing
animal in spite of all his efforts in the
line OF burlesque and low comedy. The
contest of the man to stay on, and of the
beast to put him off, is side-cracking sport
for the yokels, who awake the echoes
with their shouts and boisterous laughter.
The horseman is so adroit and supple of
limb that even when thrown he is seldom
seriously hurt He is a natural acrobat,
apparently, and thumps and falls which
would break the limbs or neck of any
German merely increases his jolity, and
afford new opportunity for the mani
festation Of his agility
AT the fairs one can see how primitive
the habits of the the common people are,
how limited their wants. They prepare
their food like gypsies, wrap themselves
in their blankets or sheep-skin coats, and
sleep ON the ground or under their stalls
or wagons more serenely and soundly
than their lords and masters do under
silken canopies on beds of daintiest down
The earth literally serves them for couch
and the sky for roof; the native ele-
ments are their best friends their rug
ged constitutions and hard hands their
stoutest allies and firmest supporters
Modern retinements and luxuries have in
nowise effeminated them as a race; they
are as intrepid and hardy as when they
fought against Soliman the Magnificent
and fell with Tokolyi.
The colvocation at the fairs is diversi-
fed enough In addition to the Hunga-
rians there are Greeks, Servians, Jews,
Wallaeeians, Bohemians, Croate, SclavO-
mans, Moldavians and Turks. But even
these may be considered part of the ma
tive population, as the origin and compo-
sition of the Magyars has always been
an open and unsolved question with eth
nologists They have been pronounced
Avars, Mongolians, Tartars, Firms, Os-
manlis, Calmucks, and Olympus knows
not what From Down the Danube,
in Harper's Magazine for November.