By Raul Rothblatt
Photos: Gyöngyvér Harkó, Gabriella Györffy & Marta Fodor
from Jumbie Journal, July 2006
The annual Hungarian Day festival in New Brunswick, New Jersey is one
of the great festivals you've probably never heard of. Thousands of
people throng Somerset Street to enjoy the whole range of Hungarian
culture; from blintzes, books and beer, to speeches, parades, prayers
and history lessons. Of course, there is an endless supply of music and
dance, with performances starting in the late morning and ending in the
wee hours of the next day.
Vastly different musical styles live side by side during Hungarian Day. There is a campervan/stage on the street presenting rock and popular styles, while Gypsy Joe plays accordion to fellow beer drinkers in the basement of the Hungarian American Athletic Club (HAAC). Hungarians love their folk culture, and New Brunswick is home to a vibrant, multi-generational community that enthusiastically embraces the Hungarian village cultures from Transylvania, Hungary and Slovakia.
The Hungarian Scouts play a big part in keeping Hungarian dance traditions alive in the region. The local troop leaders start teaching the intricacies of Hungarian folk dance to toddlers, and continue their lessons through the kids' teenage years. A group of alumni from the Scouts have formed a performing dance ensemble called Csürdöngölö, and there are other youth groups in Garfield, New Jersey and New York City. For Hungarian Day, the Tisza dance group from Washington came up for the weekend.
The endless hours of dance could not take place without music. The group at the heart of this community is the traditional Hungarian folk ensemble Eletfa. The group, managed by Jumbie Records, has played an active role at the heart of New Jersey's Hungarian community and needs no introduction in New Brunswick.
As in past years, Hungarian Day included small hourly performances by Életfa/Csürdöngölö that lead up to a large performance at the HAAC. This year's finale included nearly one hundred performers and an audience of about 700. This year was the last performance at the current HAAC before it moves down the street as it is being rebuilt to make room for the expansion of a hospital.
The twilight performance this year featured three Hungarian sopranos, each representing a different style: One operatic, one rock, one folk. Életfa's Kalman "Öcsi" Magyar, as usual, performed as MC, musical director and multi-instrumentalist.
The long day of fried food, discussions of the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, and endless dance and musical performance did not end at twilight. This was just the prelude to the Tanchaz, a participatory dance party at the scout’s home. This rustic wooden building is called the Cserkeszhaz. Eletfa continued to play into the early morning while happy, hot Hungarians danced with amazing rhythm and endless energy.
The next Hungarian Day will take place in the first Saturday on June 2007. For more information, please contact Raul@JumbieRecords.com.
Photo by Marta Fodor of Laci & Raul playing at the tanchaz. Click here for more images.
Young Hungarian performers paving
the way for their younger siblings
For more photos, visit www.gimagine.com
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