Borbély Szilárd

I am intrigued by names, trying to figure them out, find their source, if you will…a friend recently asked me if I knew of the Hungarian poet, Borbély Szilárd…I do not, but the name caught my eye…in Hungary, I find it a challenge when trying to sus out the first & last name…example: Gábor can be either a first or last name…Zsa Zsa Gábor is a famous example; yet one of Beni's friends is named Gábor, his first name…and in Hungary, the last name is written first, except when it is written for a western audience, when it is reversed…the Hungarians do it in an attempt to be 'helpful'…because the article my friend sent was from Wikipedia, I assumed the first name leads: 'Szilárd'…going to Google Translate, it says it means 'solid'…not always believing GT, I go to my dictionary, which confirms its meaning: strong, firm, solid…why someone would name their child, Solid, is for another discussion…the last name I recognized immediately, as 'Borbely' means 'barber' in Hungarian…Solid Barber.

I find the name humorous, but no more than an American named Black or White or Smith or Jones…one of my nephew, Cameron's, girlfriends is named 'Dorka'…upon hearing it the first time, I thought, "oh, what a terrible thing to call a little girl," but I've since seen it used many times, so it's a traditional Hungarian name, despite what I may think about a 'dork.'

And speaking of Google Translate, it has embarrassed me more times than I wish to admit…'anyad' means 'your mother'…when I used it, Alexandra was mildly shocked and warned me that that particular word, anyad, is a mild oath here in Hungary, like saying, "you mother"…she said the proper noun is 'anyakud'…confused, I went home and typed 'anyakud' into GT; it came back 'motherfucker' (I kid you not; you can check it yourself)…when I showed this to Alex, it was her turn to be shocked & confused…I don't know the answer to how to tell the difference, other than going to a printed dictionary & double-checking, or having a Hungarian friend to ask…

Happy Holidays!

Kaposvár Friday Jan 7

Beautiful, clear blue skies, but cold: Hi 2°C/35°F Lo -6°C/21°F

Temperatures set new record highs in Hungary over the holidays, getting into the 50's, which, apparently, is NOT normal. And very little snow; Alexandra was noting on the 24th that she can't remember her last white Christmas, it's been so long. This ain't right, ya'll. Change (climate) is in the air. Just yesterday, the temp was 14°C/55°F with lots of sun. Now the forecast is for a return to normal winter conditions, maybe snow later in the week. We'll see.

As to the holidays, I had a very enjoyable time with the family. Andrea invited me over for Christmas Eve, when we exchanged gifts, and she served a lovely dinner of pan-crusted salmon filets with butternut squash risotto. Finom! Delicious! She is such a great cook. I am so grateful to her and the kids that they allow me to join them at this time of year. [When I was living in Budapest, the family would insist that I come spend a few days with them; which was fine, but I still felt I was intruding. Now that I have my own place here in Kaposvár, I like the idea I can graciously slip out before I overstay my welcome.] In the early evening, Cameron wanted to play 'Monopoly,' of all games. They all got a big kick out of my reaction to the board and cards being in Hungarian. I think they took advantage of me; I can't prove it, but it's consistent with how they play cards. Csaló! Cheater!

Traditionally, all of Andrea's family get together at her house on Christmas Day. I think this is because she has the most space, as well as the most kids. Although this year, her brother, Ádám, and his wife, Vera, are giving her a run for the money, as they welcomed a new little one, Janka (Yawn-ka). They already have a sweet, sweet boy, Bence. It was unfortunate, with the pandemic still surging, that they opted out of joining us; I can't say I blame them for being cautious, what with an infant, and there had been a few of the family down with Covid earlier in December. No sense taking chances. Alexandra's Beni & his family joined us this year, which was great fun. Everyone brought a dish; I made an American 'Thanksgiving dressing,' if you will: the stuffing for the turkey, but without the bird. They all liked the idea and seemed to enjoy it, for which I was thankful. 

Now we all settle down to a long, miserable winter of discontent, wanting this pandemic to take a hike. (Actually, I'd like to take a hike, to anywhere.) 

Boldog Új  Évet! Happy New Year!

Frederick Douglass

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

Japan Tsunami 2011

The 9.1-magnitude undersea earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, caused a powerful tsunami, which in turn caused a meltdown of 3 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Official figures released in 2021 reported 19,747 deaths, 6,242 injured, and 2,556 people missing from this tsunami disaster.

I saw this factoid in an article about the tsunami that hit Japan in early 2011…I want to know: what do they mean '2556 people missing'…am I to believe that that many people were swept out to sea? OMG! How horrible. And their family having nothing to bury.

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

'Let the good times roll!'

I wanted to acknowledge that the information about 'Twelfth Night,' in the post below, was from the Writer's Almanac and Garrison Keillor…one of my favorite daily affirmation emails…check it out!

 

The Writer's Almanac is produced by Prairie Home Productions, LLC, the same small media company responsible for 'A Prairie Home Companion.

Twelfth Night - Epiphany Eve - Start of Carnival Season

Today is Twelfth Night. It's the eve of Epiphany, the official end of the Christmas holiday season, and the day on which many people take down their Christmas decorations or risk bad luck for the coming year. Poet Robert Herrick wrote, "Down with the rosemary, and so / Down with the bays and mistletoe; / Down with the holly, ivy, all, / Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall." It's a last Yuletide hurrah before everyone returns to the mundane workaday world of the rest of the year. Though the origin of the celebration dates back to the Roman Saturnalia, most of the traditional observances of the holiday that have survived date back to medieval England. It was the end of a holiday season that began with All Hallows Eve and, in some cultures, it also marks the beginning of the Carnival season.

It's a Twelfth Night tradition to choose a king and queen for the festivities. Usually this involves beans and baked goods. In English celebrations a plum cake is baked with a bean and a pea inside. If a man finds the bean he is crowned the Twelfth Night King, also known as the Lord of Misrule. The woman who finds the pea is crowned Queen, but if a woman finds the bean instead of the pea she chooses her own king.

Part of the Twelfth Night tradition involves pranks, role reversals, and general chaos. Servants dressed as masters, men dressed as women, and people roamed the streets in gangs, decked out in costumes and blackened faces. Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night features many of the traditional elements of the holiday.

In some parts of England Twelfth Night was also traditionally associated with apples and apple trees. People would troop out to their fruit orchards bearing a hot, spiced mixture of cider and ale for the "wassailing of the trees." They would pour the wassail on the ground over the trees' roots and sing songs and drink toasts to the health of their orchards. They also hung bits of cider-soaked toast in the trees to feed the birds. The attention paid to the orchards during the wassailing would be repaid with a bountiful harvest the following fall.

English settlers in the Colonies brought the Twelfth Night tradition with them. In colonial Virginia it was customary to hold a large and elegant ball. Revelers chose a king and queen using the customary cake method; it was the king's duty to host the next year's Twelfth Night ball and the queen was given the honor of baking the next year's cake. George and Martha Washington didn't usually do much for Christmas except attend church but they often hosted elaborate Twelfth Night celebrations. It was also their anniversary; they'd been married on January 5, 1759. Martha Washington left behind her recipe for an enormous Twelfth Night cake among her papers at Mount Vernon. The recipe called for 40 eggs, four pounds of sugar, and five pounds of dried fruit. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that Christmas became the primary holiday of the season in America and, at that point, Twelfth Night celebrations all but disappeared.

Another Year

Another year gone and the old man with the scythe
Is mowing closer. He hasn't been subtle, has he.
Too many good people gone, and I could sit and cry
For them except that you look exceptionally snazzy
Despite the miles on your odometer,
As if you have a few more aces up your sleeve,
Maybe you were born under a lucky comet or
Maybe it's the wine, but I do believe
When I look at you and take your hand you're
Positively glowing. Maybe we've been sorry a
Long enough time and now we get some grandeur
And do our dance and sing our aria.
    May this year bring us before it has flown
    All we would have wished for had we only known.


Gary Johnson, "Another Year."