We visited the Hungarian Open Air Museum in Szentendre and enjoyed a beautiful journey back in time. This open air museum features buildings and village segments based on the different regions of Hungary during specific time periods. Even though the weather was cold and rainy, the kids loved sloshing through the mud and discovered lots of treasures from Hungarian culture......like curly haired pigs, the mangalica pigs. They are really cute close up!
Peeking into wells, looking through windows, going into houses, cottages, barns, and village churches, and seeing the chairs, beds, and dishes that once belonged to someone else make us mindful of those who once lived here, and of those today who seek to carry on their traditions.
The museum really is dedicated to preserving Hungarian traditions - folk dancing and singing, traditional village dress, handcrafts like wood working, spinning wool, egg painting, sewing, and language preservation through story telling and poetry. Our children got to make flying birds using real hollow egg shells, which is a traditional Easter craft.
A walk through a slow, unhurried village, touching the thatched roofs, eating langos and kurtos kolacs baked in outdoor ovens, hearing the pigs and the chickens, and admiring the skillful determination of cultural preservation is a nice reminder of our humanity..... a walk through the past is always good for the present.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment