Presentation of Istvan Bali at the SETS conference in Martfü.

1. Strenghtening European Traditional Sports
conference regio South-East
Datum: 03.04.2015 - 03.06.2015.
Hungary
István Bali:
Tradition preserving
folk and sport games in
Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County

2. NOWADAYS
• Nowadays we have been richer by many
matters, which make our life more comfortable:
for example computer, exotic travels and
products supplied from various parts of
the world
• New kinds of sport were created: aerobic,
surf and snowboard, but we could list further.
• At the same time, the human life has been
poorer by many matters.
• Every day a species of plant or animal dies out.

3. NOWADAYS
• The peoples’ games also belong to
endangered examples of human culture,
which are common treasures of children
and adults.
• The representatives of the youngest
generation rather play on computers or on
“smart phones” and do not play such games
that played by their parents or grandparents

4. NOWADAYS
• However, a monitor is not able to substitute
excitement, pleasure and experience
of physical and social employment as
a ball game, running competition, cleverness
competition, stilts competition or a rope pulling.

5. A LITTLE GAME HISTORY
• One part of historic games changed to
specific folk games.
• The folk games directly preserve customs
of a land, region.
• Games of regions’ inhabitants represent
those popular customs, which were created
and changed by local people from generation
to generation.

6. In Hungary
• In the 15-16th century, on fair-and celebration
occasions, at dedication of guildsmen,
in the North Hungarian cities, the Christmas
combat and carnival tilting of journeymen
were introduced.
• After Turkish occupation was ceased, these ones
were replaced by more peaceful games;
such were funny gooseneck breaking competition,
traces running, leap frog, hammer throwing,
wheel rolling, barrel lifting, target practice and
rope pulling, which connected to local dedication
events

7. In Hungary
• Inhabitants of a village preserved pastoral
games with specific adherence to and love
(swineherd, hoofing, goating, etc.)
• These games indicated the arrival of spring,
celebrations before and after seasonal jobs.

8. In Hungary
• The villages created a rewarding system for the best
youngsters in running, wrestling and tree climbing.
• Among these competitions, probably the most
important was the annually repeated competition for
the title of lad judge and bailiff.
• Since these ones were organised on the occasion of
Whitsun holidays, these were also called
“passing glory”.

9. In Hungary
• István Szabó’s book titled “Ossete boy games” makes
connection between the combat games of Ossete boys,
lads living in Caucasus requiring power, cleverness,
braveness (they are relatives of Jazigian people,
Alan archers, grandchildren of Persian peoples)
and our combat games done in Jászság, Kunság and
Hajdúság.

10. Hungary and Europe
• Also, we have to speak about deviation
of European and domestic development.
• Smaller part of these games was already provided
with rules by the ruling class in feudalism, if these
ones were the entertainment forms of court
– and knight life.
• Most of them – mainly those, which were not
supported by nobility – were later created and
changed by bourgeoisie to their taste, and at the
same time established rules of the games and
organisational frames.
• This process happened much earlier in the more
developed western countries than in our country,
and modern sports had already been created there
for the time, when the bourgeois transformation was
completed here as basic condition.

11. Hungary and Europe
• However, the above-mentioned
does not mean that tax-paying
peasants did not create their
competitive entertainment
forms in the centuries of
feudalism, but based on early
written sources the peasant
entertainment was not only
consisted of cleverness
competitions related to trades,
but many such games were
also spread, which only
had function of fun and
entertainment (ball games,
skating, wrestling and caper.

12. Hungary and Europe
• However, the above-mentioned does not mean
that tax-paying peasants did not create their
competitive entertainment forms in the centuries of
feudalism, but based on early written sources the
peasant entertainment was not only consisted of
cleverness competitions related to trades, but many
such games were also spread, which only had function
of fun and entertainment (ball games, skating, wrestling
and caper.

13. Hungary and Europe
• Beginning from the 1900s the local sport games
could not compete the emerging modern sport
games, which were played uniformly everywhere.
• The uniform rules of games are such international
requirement, by which an unwritten rule of renewable
versions of occasional games gets in the background

14. Thank you
for your attention!