These nice flowers and symbols are traditional embroidery motifs of a small village of southwest Hungary, called Buzsák, where many nationalities live together and therefore very rich in folk culture.
The village is more than 500 years old, with flourishing heritage of folklore, architectural traditions. After the Turkish Wars in Hungary (bw. 1526–1686) over Hungarians several Dalmatian, Illirian, Croatian families settled in the village and the traditions were synthesised. Three types of traditional needleworks with blue, black, and red threads are popular. They can be seen in the Folklore Museum of the village.
BUZSÁK
(The County of Somogy)
Buzsák, a settlement of 1,600 inhabitants, is situated 15 kms south of Lake Balaton, on the edge of the region called Nagyberek. Written documents related to the village date back to as early as the 13th century. On the site of today's Buzsák in the Middle Ages there were two villages, Akts and Magyari. The area itself originally belonged to the castle of Somogy, then part of it went into the possession of the Bő clan. In 1279 this family got King László IV to grant them a new title deed including the whole of Magyari. The first occurrences of name of the village Akts can be traced down in documents from the 1400s. At that time it was owned by the Laki Thúz and Létai families of the Bő clan. In 1403 Magyari was granted to László, son of László Francs of Gordova.
In 1498 both settlements belonged to the possessions of László Francs of Gordova, who at the time was governor of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slovenia. It was also this period that marked the beginning of the arrival of Dalmatian, Illyrian, Serbian and Croatian settlers. In the 16th century a new wave of immigrants arrived, and in the meantime the two villages united.
In the tax register of 1536, the settlement is already mentioned by the name Akts-Magyari. The first appearance of the present name Buzsák dates back to legal documents from 1675, recording the proceedings of lawsuits initiated for the possession of Akts-Magyari, or Buzsák. According to some researchers, the name of the village is identical with the Serbian-Croatian place name Budzak, which is rooted in the word budzak, meaning corner. According to other sources, however, the name derives from the word borocska (swamp), which relates to the settlement's location.
The newly-arrived settlers soon got assimilated with the Hungarian population. Their own traditions and culture became part of the lives of the locals, meanwhile they themselves got "magyarised", gradually abandoning their native language of Slavic origin. This is proved by the fact that from 1831 the language of education at the village school was exclusively Hungarian. The process resulted in a unique culture featuring folk costumes and embroidery, characteristic only of this community.
The Buzsák of today is famous for its traditions and living folk art. Local women are still using the three ancient kinds of embroidering technique called vézás, rátétes and the bright-coloured boszorkányos. Their pieces of art feature five different colours: yellow, red, blue, green and black.
Many famous representatives of wood carving, weaving and pottery also live and work at Buzsák. Old traditions and customs are cherished by the local women's choir and folk dance ensemble with their programmes and shows of outstanding value.
This multi-coloured culture (featuring embroidery, clothes and dance) is also represented in the coat-of-arms of Buzsák, simultaneously referring to the settlement's past and present. The village's flourishing traditions, architectural sights (such as the listed building of the Roman Catholic church, the Romanesque-style White Chapel, the local folk art museum and the row of old wine cellars, also under protection as historic monuments), the traditional events like the Buzsák Pentecost, the patronal feast or the vintage day, as well as the thermal medicinal bath of Csisztafürdő are all remarkable touristic attractions.
