Pest (of
BudaPest) comes from the slavic word meaning furnace.
It is the week of their public holiday (St Stephens Day – 20
August - commemorating the foundation of the Hugarian state – a bit like their
4th of July) and in the lead up to that there are a number of folk
fairs. Walking up to the liberty statue
that provides an excellent view over the city, I continue to walk over the
other side of the hill to the castle. I
go up to get a pass to see that Budapest castle only to be told that it is the
Hungarian folk-festival week with all the displays at the castle and my entry
is to pay the price for the festival.
This is not a disappointment to me.
Given the reconstruction of Budapest and the Hungarian
folklore and farming heritage, in retrospect it should not be surprising that
the arts and crafts are a thriving industry and capability in Hungary. Still, I am awe-struck by what I see. There are about 500 stalls/displays in total.
The fact that they are using the grounds of the beautiful castle as a backdrop
just adds to the magic of it. I spent 6
hours thee on my second day in Budapest and a further 2 hours the next. This was an unexpected bonus.
The word artisan is an interesting one. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artisan
) sums it up as a craftsman, a skilled manual worker who makes items that may
be functional or strictly decorative. It
goes on to say “Artisans practice a craft and may through experience and aptitude reach the expressive levels of an artist.”
This last part is the key for me.
An artisan, to me, is someone who makes something beautiful (and
preferably functional) with their hands that will last generations (and
certainly well beyond the creators tenure in this world).
To have this many
of that breed assembled in one place not just showing and selling their works
but also making them as part of the festival and display is, at one level
,mesmerizing and at another, quite humbling.
I could (and do) watch for hours.
The number of ironmongers/forgers here is legion. One of our farriers for our horses back home
is Hungarian. He opted for the NZ
lifestyle as he said it was difficult to make a living doing it in Hungary and
there were too many in competition with each other. Their loss, our gain.
I am on a budget
both in dollars and pack weight on my travels and I am only 6 weeks into my trip
(though it seems longer!). Logic and
reason on one of my shoulders debating with appreciation of craftsmanship on
the other; it is a pretty even arm wrestle and I watch them both fight it
out. The debate is over a knife.
Janos Madaras is
a well-respected and talented Hungarian knife maker from the old school.
Every knife he makes is hand forged and his
experience (he is a wizened and smiling character) shows. He and his wife are at the stall; they have
little if any English speaking capability and the discussion is carried out via
pointing and a calculator. I try to
explain that I am not carrying that much money with me. A young lady who is on the customer side of
the stall helpfully translates. “Which
one are you interested in?” I point at a
hand-crafted blade sheath knife with a deer antler handle. “The problem is, I need to go and get some
money to pay for this then I need to ship it off to New Zealand.” She relays this in Hungarian to Janos. He exchanges some words, she frowns (as does
his wife) and turns to me “He says you can take the knife now and bring back
the money when you have it.” I understand the frowns now! No, I wouldn’t do that. While I appreciate the sentiment and I would
happily honor my side of the bargain, he doesn’t know me and I’m sure he will
be getting a lecture from inside the trenches until such time as I did return.
 |
| Janos Madaras - knife maker |
I thank the young lady for her help
translating. Turns out she is actually
their daughter and she should be inside the stall working today but taking a
brief break. “Does your father teach
knife making?” I inquire. “No, it’s too
dangerous to teach children and he does not really have the time.” “I was wondering more for tourists or people
like me. Does he run any classes?” She smiles and gently shakes her head. “To do this takes years of training and
practical experience.” I understand the
sentiment and feel vaguely foolish in asking the question. I get the point now about teaching people
from when they are children. That’s
apparently how long her Father has been learning his craft.
Janos puts the knife aside for me and I scuttle off to find
an ATM in the castle (which seems strangely anachronistic). Soon after and I am the proud owner of a
beautiful handcrafted piece that is both an art work and practical.
A good knife comes into its own on a farm and
I am forever frustrated by some of the mass-produced blades I have used over
the years. Time will tell but something
makes me think I won’t be disappointed with this one.
As beautiful and intricate as the metal and ironwork at the
festival are, the woodwork, carving and clothing is equally as exceptional. The clothing is well made and of high quality
cotton or linen. Carolann will tell you
that previous attempts at buying nice clothing for her from afar have had mixed
results though I cannot resist some of the heavy cream linen shirts that (fingers
crossed) should fit her.
Around NZD$20 postage later the next day, my parcel (1kg) of
goodies from Budapest is winging it’s way New Zealand-wards registered post and
with promise of a 5 day delivery (we’ll see).
The artisan is alive and well in Hungary. Long may that continue. There are too many of us who think we are
making a difference sitting behind a computer
but there’s something to be said for those whose passion is left behind
in something that will last generations.
It is a pity they are not recompensed accordingly for it.
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