In Europe there are a huge number of peoples speaking different languages. Understanding them is sometimes very difficult. What people of Europe call themselves Magyars? Where do they live and what is their story? Read the article below.
Where does the people live?
Magyars ... Who is it? Surely many people first hear this ethnonym. Actually the answer is not so complicated. Magyars are the self-name of the Hungarian people. Hungarians are the people of Europe, which is state-forming in Hungary. A lot of Hungarians live in Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Russia, the USA, Canada, Chile. About 9.5 million Magyars live in Hungary, which makes up more than 90 percent of the total population of the country.
The distant ancestors of the Magyars lived off the banks of the Volga along its middle course and spoke the Finno-Ugric language. In the I millennium BC. e. some Magyars moved further east, to the basins of the Ob and Irtysh rivers.
In the V century, people cross the Volga and find shelter in the steppes north of the Caucasus. At that time they were called He-Ogur, in translation it sounds like “ten arrows”. To make it clear which people of Europe call themselves Magyars, it should be clarified - the word "Hungarian" came from the name He-Ogur, this is his Slavic version. About 400 years people lived in this region. The warlike nomadic herders became the ancestors of Europeans from Hungary.
What people of Europe call themselves Magyars: history continues
Around the year 830 e. the Magyars moved forward again. They crossed the Don River, crossed the Carpathians and settled on the site of modern Hungary, which became their home. Militant horsemen raid neighboring territories, but several defeats diminished their ardor. Henry Ptitselov and Otto the Great gave a worthy rebuff to the former nomads.
By the eleventh century, newly arrived Hungarians began to assimilate with the local people, called the Wallachians. They adopt many of their customs, culture as a whole and completely settle on these lands. That was the beginning of the Hungarian nation.
In the 17th century, Hungary became dependent on Austria, but did not lose its self-sufficiency. The culture and language of the Magyar people continues to develop. In 1867, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was formed. It lasted until the end of World War I.
Life of the people and their cultural traditions
Currently, Hungarians are mainly employed in various industries, economies and services. More than 50% of Hungarians live in cities. The traditional industry - agriculture - is still actively developing. Cattle breeding is widespread in the plains of the country, and horse breeding in the southern territories. Magyars and pigs are bred. The main agricultural crop for many years remains wheat.
The Magyars also retain folk crafts - flax processing, weaving lace, leather dressing, pottery.
Since ancient times, the Magyar mentality has been distinguished by pride in its people. They could even be careless about other nations. It was not for nothing that the Magyars had the proverb "Porridge is not food, the Slovak is not a man." The whole figure and facial expression of the Magyar peasant shows his greatness and pride. The people lived in houses with earthen, wooden or reed walls. Now in construction, stone and brick are mainly used.
National costume Magyar
The traditional clothes of the Hungarians are diverse. Women wore many underskirts over which a wide over skirt was worn. She was prefab. Short shirts with extended sleeves were put on the upper body. Sleeveless jackets were also popular.
Going out into people was possible only in a scarf or cap. Men wore linen trousers, canvas shirts and vests. The head was covered with straw hats, and in the cold season - with fur hats. Now the national costume is replaced by modern European clothes.
Hungarians with a rich and interesting history are Catholics, some of them Protestants and Catholics. From this article you learned what people of Europe call themselves Magyars, where they originated and where they live now.