Wow! We are officially at 100 episodes of The Hungarian Living Podcast! Woohoo!
That is something to celebrate! But The Hungarian Living Podcast is not really about me, it is about you and your Hungarian heritage – and supporting you with creative ways to learn more about it.
Let’s dig in!
Welcome to The Hungarian Living Podcast. I am Liz, your host.
Today we are talking all about the variety of ways you can make a deeper connection with your Hungarian heritage. And, in fact, if you are already deep into it, I am sure you can teach me a lot about the area you pare passionate about. There are so many angles, and I am sure you can find the one that speaks to your interests and passions.
While I do believe it is fun learn to about things so we can share them with others, sometimes we do things for ourselves – because we are curious and interested. And it really doesn’t matter if someone else is interested in what we are doing. So, if you are interested in learning something about Hungarian heritage and culture, carve out some time to explore it. Find that topic that intrigues you and dig in.
If you haven’t yet found that thing that intrigues you or you aren’t sure about how to choose the place to delve in, think about the things you naturally enjoy…
Maybe it is History, Cooking, genealogy, traveling, language, watching movies, reading, gardening, folk arts & crafts….you know, the list is endless. As we go through this episode, think of those things that intrigue you.
History
What was happening in Hungary when your family member left? What were the borders at that time? Did your family member settle in an area in their new country where there was an established group of Hungarians?
Cooking
What heritage foods do you remember from your childhood? Have you cooked those foods? Are you excited about revisiting classic Hungarian dishes and learning about the variations? We offer cooking classes several times a year and they are a great way to expand your knowledge and taste buds! You can check out our upcoming classes at TheHungarianStore website: https://thehungarianstore.com/product-category/online-classes/
Genealogy
What is the region of Hungary your relatives came from? Do you know the villages your ancestors came from? Are they still in present day Hungary or are they located outside of today’s Hungary? Have you taken a DNA test and looked for relatives? Do you know your family’s story?
Language
Did you grow up hearing or even speaking Hungarian? When you are out and about, have you run into people speaking Hungarian and recognized it? Have you tried to learn Hungarian formally or do you already know if but have no one to practice with? We offer Hungarian language classes at a variety of levels. If you want to grow in your language skills, we would love to help you find a class that matches your level: https://thehungarianstore.com/product-category/online-classes/
Music
Music is such a part of Hungarian life. Have you listened to music from Hungary? From your region? There are oldies and there are contemporary songs. As you can imagine, they run the gamut. If you are a musician, you may know of Hungarian composers. If your child or grandchild is taking music lessons, it might be fun to request that they learn some songs by Hungarian composers. When our kids were younger and taking piano lessons, their teacher picked out some songs for them to learn with a Hungarian connection. But learning Hungarian through singing is also a great way to grow your language skills!
Traveling
Are there particular things in Hungary you would like to see or do? Are there particular regions of Hungary you want to visit? Have you been to your ancestral village? Are there still relatives living there? If you don’t want to leave your country to travel internationally, you can probably find some pockets of Hungarian heritage within 6-8 hours of where you live. But, of course, spending time in Hungary or Transylvania would certainly give you a deep dive into the heritage and the culture. We will be visiting both Hungary and Slovakia in May of 2025 and we will be in Transylvania in October 2025. Check out https://magyarliving.com/
Watching Movies
Have you ever watched a film that helped you get a sense of history or a person? Have you seen Hungarian films? Many are subtitled in English. Have you noticed a certain style to Hungarian filmmaking? Did you know Hollywood was impacted by the influence of Hungarians?
Reading
From fiction to non-fiction to historical fiction – there are a lot of books out there, in English about many facets of Hungarian life – from life in Hungary to escaping communism and socialism and adjusting to life in a new place. Some have been translated from Hungarian to English and others were simply written in English. There is so much to be gained from reading a memoir or autobiography! What have you read lately? Have you heard an author speak about their book? We carry a number of books for all ages at our website The Hungarian Store
Gardening/Foraging
This year we decided to grow several varieties of Hungarian peppers. And we are learning a little more about foraging. Whether you are interested in growing Hungarian varieties or foraging for food you can add some fun to your meals.
Hobby Farming
Many people are exploring the option of hobby farming. But in Hungary, these little plots of land next to the homes where there are a few chickens a pig, fruit and nut trees and a garden are the way of life. How did we stray so far from that and has it been for our benefit?
Folk Arts & Crafts
Folk Arts and crafts were a way of passing down traditions, learning new skills, and being a part of the creative process. Aside from the method of folk art, there is so much to learn about the various regions of Hungary and the meaning behind the traditional folk art.
So now that I have mentioned a few things to get you thinking, what are you curious about…or, what are you already into? I would love to know! Every topic can be approached in a variety of ways, according to your learning style. It is also very rewarding to encourage others to delve into their heritage. You can purchase meaningful and fun gifts from The Hungarian Store (dot) come. You can take a class together – even if you live in different cities. Or you can give the class or workshop as a gift.
If we can help you in any way, please let us know. Sign up for our newsletters to receive information on new products and what classes are coming up as well as the tours we are hosting. We will get back to regular podcasts. But, as we have added in so many new ways to make a connection, it is pretty important for you to receive our newsletter to stay in-the-loop as to what opportunities are coming up. You can sign up at Hungarian Living and we’ll have a link for you in the show notes.
We’d love to hear what you are up to! Email us at [email protected] and let us know!
I hope to see you soon!
