FolkCostume&Embroidery: Folk Costume and Embroidery of the Csángó, Part 3 Barcasági or Hétfalusi Csángók

Hello all,

Today I will conclude my series on the Csángó, by talking about the Csángós of Barcaság.

Barcaság is the Hungarian name of the region around the City of Brașov, called Brasov in Hungarian and Kronstadt in German. This region is called Burzenland in German, and Țara Bârsei in Romanian. It consists of the basin of the river Barca, Burzen or Bârsa, and the surrounding highlands. Today it is located in the southern part of Brașov County, around the city of Brașov. Hungarian sources will often include the Hungarians of Királyföld as part of this group.

https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcas%C3%A1gi_cs%C3%A1ng%C3%B3k

The Barcasági Csángó are shown in red on both of these maps.

Here is a map of Barcasag or Burzenland.

To quote Wikipedia:

Csángós live in dozens of villages in the Barcaság region . The largest number is in the region called Hétfalu [the Seven Villages], which is why they are also called Hétfalusi Csángós .

https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9tfalusi_cs%C3%A1ng%C3%B3k

The origin of this group is unclear, but they are called Csángó by the Szeklers who live to their north. They have been in this area since the 11th cent. and according to some accounts have a distinctive dialect.

To again quote Wikipedia:

Hétfalu was originally a royal estate, the donation of certain parts of it began in the 14th–15th century, and then King Władysław II mortgaged it to the city of Brasov. After the collapse of the central royal power, the redemption did not take place, and Brasov, despite a century and a half of opposition, reduced the population of Hétfalu, which once had a patent status and was a border guard, to serfdom.

After this, the Csángó of the region began to take service with the Saxons in their vicinity, working their land for half-rent, logging the mountains, etc. as they had little land of their own.

As a result, this group of Hungarian speaking people were much influenced by the Transylvanian Saxon culture. They became Lutheran and their folk costume developed together with theirs, and to this day the Hétfalusi Csángó folk costume more closely resembles that of the Transylvanian Saxon than any other.

Here is a video [in Hungarian] that shows the landscape and some of the folk arts of the Seven Villages, traditional jewelry making, folk costume, decorative weaving, easter egg making, and folk painting on chests and boxes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FxhjGPtpvY

The base layer of the attire is a plain linen or cotton chemise which has short sleeves, and is usually not visible when fully dressed.

Over this is a long linen chemise, or shirt with underskirt. This originally had smocking embroidery at the neckline.

There was also embroidery, on the sleeves and perhaps other places.

This book is described as having Barcasági csángó leányingek hímzésmintái 'Barcasagi Csango Girl shirt embroidery patterns.' Most likely in cross stitch, like the Saxon embroidery.

Today this type of shirt continues to be worn by a minority of women, like the one seated on the left.

But mostly this over shirt is now made of lace, without any embroidery, which I think is a shame. Note the ruffled collar.

There is an ankle length skirt worn with this outfit, full, of white linen, wool, damask or brocade in various colors.

A hip length vest is worn, usually of damask or brocade, with a front opening and a square cut neckline trimmed with wide ribbon or galloon. The hem may be cut square across, or come to a point in front. The apron is a rectangular panel, and today is usually made of lace, though in the past it was of embroidered linen.

A long length of Czech brocade ribbon may be attached to one shoulder, falling in front and behind, alternatively it may be made into a hairband, again with two long lengths trailing down.

Necklaces of red glass beads or coral are worn. Also a large round "brooch" is worn on the chest, which actually hangs around the neck. This jewelry is made locally by specialist artisans.

This is accompanied by an elaborate belt, with rows of bosses on the back, and two buckles which lie over one another on the front, the entire belt hanging loosely.

Black leather shoes are worn with this outfit.

In Transylvanian Saxon society, certain high status women are given the privilege of being 'veiled'. This is also reflected in Csángó society. Saxon women wear tight fitting caps made of satin, etc. The Csángó caps which I have found images of seem to be crocheted.

Overgarments of wool or sheepskin are worn at need.

The mens' garments are similar to that of the other Csángó, even though they are not closely related groups. As you can see above, they wear narrow linen or wool pants, depending on time of year, usually white, but today one often sees black pants, reflecting general Hungarian usage.

The shirt is made in tunic cut, worn over the pants, and has cuffs and a rather wide stand up collar. The cuffs and collar have yellow embroidery, and the collar is held closed with red or yellow cords that have tassels on their ends.

This first image is blurry, but it shows the construction of the collar.

The tunic is belted with the typical wide Transylvanian belt, ornamented with embossed work and quillwork.

The outfit is finished off with felt or sheepskin hats, depending on the weather, and leather shoes or boots.

Today we sometimes see men dressed in generic white shirt and black vest and pants, as is often seen in Hungary. There are also some special costumes worn for specific folk rituals.