Ethnographic research / Néprajzkutatás

It is not a commonly known fact today that until the end of the 1800‘s, isolated Islamic communities lived in Hungary which have managed to keep their religion and customs since the years of the Turkish Oppression. This fact might be completely forgotten today, however, ethnographic research in the last few years has revealed amazing discoveries that again shed light on this unclear spot in Hungarian folk history. A few old photographs have been discovered, as well as an ornate head covering (restored since), which serve as evidence for this religious-ethnographic mingling of folks.
Conflicts were common in the relationship of the Islamic Groups and the Hungarian lowland farmers, which most of the time did not result in the Hungarians coming out of those as winners. Especially in smaller villages where Hungarian inhabitants became a minority during those decades did the phenomenon of “reciprocal assimilation” occur, as a result of which the Hungarians – either out of fear, or just unintended – adapted to the customs and religion of the Turkish.
This could often be recognized in the dressing culture of the folk, it can be followed how Turkish motives started to penetrate into Hungarian folk costume design, the most remarkable example of which is the head covering, an accessory to the folk costume itself. It represents an interesting mutation between Hungarian and Turkish dressing customs, enriched by some new characteristics different from either of the two cultures. For example, the majority of Turkish women did not cover their faces, and therefore it is a good question why the Hungarian ‘burka’ covers the whole surface of one’s face. The issue is also interesting from a linguistic point of view, as it is easy to trace back that the Hungarian word ‘burok’ (meaning: ‘hull’) – just like many other words in the Hungarian vocabulary – has its origins in Turkish, as it can easily be etymologically bound to the word ‘burka’.