Ferenc Tobak:

Christmas Tradition near Ballószög in the 1950s.

The boys made the Nativity scene out of wooden boards painted white.  Inside, there were pictures of saints glued on the walls and ceilings, and the little lambs and Baby Jesus were made of clay.  The Baby Jesus was lying in the manger on hay, and they had a candle for light.

The Nativity scene went on for two weeks before Chrismas Eve.  There were four players, wearing the wearing fur coats and fur hats of shepherds.  The Old Shepherd had a fur cape called a suba.

We went where we knew there were religious people or houses with small children; there, they let us in.

We left after dark.  We visited the nearby houses first.  They were cold, snowy nights.  The moon was shining and the sky was starry.  There was a narrow track in the snow from people walking, and we trod after each other.

When we reached the first house’s gate, the dogs barked, we shook our bell, and people from the house appeared at the door.

We asked, “Can we bring Baby Jesus inside? Can we do the

Bethlehem Play?”

When they said yes, they invited us inside.  The old shepherd stood outside.

We went inside, greeted Baby Jesus, put the Nativity scene on the table, lit the candle, and the people from the house came and looked at the Nativity.

Then, we started the carols.  The shepherds all had sticks, with which they pounded the rhythm, pounded the ground with those big sticks.

The first songs were “Angel from Heaven,” “Glory to God in Heaven,” and “Shepherds, Shepherds, be Joyous.”

Then, we called in the Old Shepherd.

The Old Shepherd came in, and he threw himself to the floor under the table.

The little kids sometimes cried because they were scared when the old man fell in.

The shepherds kept calling the Old Shepherd, “Wake up, old man, wake up!”

“I am not ketchup!” said the Old Shepherd.

“Stand up to kiss Baby Jesus,” said the shepherds.

“Kiss a pretty Mariska?”

“To kiss the Baby Jesus, the Baby Jesus,” they said.

“Then I will get up.”

Then he stood up, and they started to sing with the Old Shepherd:

“Shepherds, wake up…”

We got small presents.  Apples, walnuts, pastries, and a few pennies were all our pay in the 1950s.  If there was a feast in the house, they invited us to their table.

That was how we got ready for Christmas.

Dawing: Tobakné Váczi Mária, 76

Story from:

Tobakné Váczi Mária, 76

Váczi Károly, 73

Váczi József, 65

Váczi Ferenc, 61

Translation:  Marika and Ferenc Tobak