Țara Călatei - Kalotaszeg

[bbbarna]

Kalotaszeg (Romanian: Ţara Călatei) is a region in Romania, belonging to the area of Transylvania which was formerly part of the Hungarian Kingdom. It is one of the few areas in Western Romania with a significant Hungarian population, and it is a stronghold of old Transylvanian Hungarian folk traditions.

Kalotaszeg is a minor region inhabited mainly by Hungarians. It is the cradle of folk traditions dating back to hundreds of years.
Between Huedin and Cluj there are lots of things to see: churches with wooden shingles and painted coffer ceilings in almost every village, houses with wooden porches, cultural events, evenings when traditional Hungarian folk dances are taught to live folk music, folk costumes worn even on weekdays, ancient, traditional farming etc. Perhaps the most attractive feature of this region, however, is the exceptional hospitality with which visitors are met.

Kalotaszeg originally was a small triangle of a land at the foot of the Vlădeasa Mountain, bordered by the Rivers Crişul and Kalota which flow together just under Huedin.

Kalotaszeg is divided into four smaller regions:
Felszeg is what Kalotaszeg used to be, it is the core of the region. It is 600-800 meters above sea level. It is bordered by the Meseş Mountains, the Vlădeasa Mountain, the Gilău Mountains and the River Crişul Repede. The administrative center of the region used to be Sâncraiu but later this role was taken over by Huedin.
Alszeg lies north of the River Crişul Repede, in the valley and side-valleys of the Almaş Stream. The region is 300-400 meters above sea level and gradually becomes part of the Szilágyság Hills.
Nádasmente or Cifra Kalotaszeg includes the villages along the River Nádas and its side streams. It is in this region that national costumes are the most colourful and decorated. The villages in the valley of the Kapus Stream also belong to this region.
The villages in the vicinity of Cluj lie in the valleys of the streams Jára and Lóna and the River Kis-Szamos.

The region has some Hungarian villages where people have consciously been preserving old traditions. Church has played an important role in preserving the area’s culture, since religion has always been a dominant force in the intellectual life of Kalotaszeg.
In Izvoru Crişului, and in neighbouring villages as well, making and trading folk art objects has gone through a very positive change. The most common products are pillows with hand-made embroidery, clothes and carved wooden objects.

The traditions that have been kept throughout long centuries are still fascinating. Christmas caroling and acting out the Bethlehem story are still living traditions. The same is true with the ’sprinkling’ at Easter, when early in the morning men go over to the houses where their female relatives and friends live and sprinkle them with water; in return the women give them dyed eggs with traditional folk patterns on them. Weddings also have their special traditions. And, of course, there is a ball in October, after the grapes have been picked and pressed by the people of the village. On religious holidays men and women put on their nicest costumes and go to church and after the ceremony women make a festive traditional lunch.

The costumes of this region are extraordinarily colourful and varied.
One piece of clothing that no woman can be without is the so-called ’muszuly’. It is a beautifully decorated, pleated, loose skirt,which is folded up on two sides and has a wide – red, green or yellow – waist band and a decorated pinafore. Unmarried women wear a fillet with long ribbons in the back and red boots. They wear a thickly embroidered vest on top of their cuffed blouse.
Men wear stockings made of broad-cloth, black boots, a loose shirt and a marvellous frieze-coat. Young men also wear a green, round hat or a hat decorated with pearls.


Ţara Călatei este o regiunea mai mică a Transilvaniei, locuită în masă de maghiari, leagănul tradiţiilor populare vechi de mai multe secole.
Aici, între Huedin şi Cluj-Napoca, un număr imens de curiozităţi atrage turiştii: biserici monument, cu acoperiş din şindrilă de lemn şi cu plafone alcătuite din casete de lemn pictate, case ţărăneşti cu prispă de lemn, manifestări culturale, port popular viu şi în zilele lucrătoare, cu o agricultură tradiţională, străveche, şi în sfârşit dar poate cel mai important ospitalitatea în care are parte vizitatorul.

Călata original a însemnat o mică porţiune triunghiulară de pământ, aşezată la poalele muntelui Vlădeasa, mărginită de Criş şi Kalota care se întâlnesc sub Huedin.

Regiunea Călata de fapt poate fi împărţită în patru ţinuturi, care sunt următoarele:
Felszeg, regiunea Călata originală, cu o altitudine variabilă între 600-800 de m, dincare cauză este o regiune cu adevărat subalpină. Graniţele naturale sunt formate de Mţii Meseş, Mţii Vlădeasa, Mţii Gilău şi Crişul Repede.
Odinioară centrul administrativ al acestui ţinut a fost Sâncraiu, dar mai târziu acest rol a fost preluat de Huedin, în curs de urbanizare.
Alszeg, la nord de Crişul Repede, este aşezat în valea Almaşului şi în văile lăturalnice. Altitudinea acestui ţinut este între 300-400 de m, şi treptat ajunge în zona deluroasă a Sălajului.
Nádasmente sau Cifra Kalotaszeg cuprinde satele întinse de-a lungul văii pârâului Nádas şi a văii afluenţilor acestuia, unde portul popular este cel mai împodobit şi cel mai colorat. Acest ţinut cuprinde şi satele aşezate de-a lungul văii pârâului Kapus.
Satele aparţinând regiunii de tranziţie din Cluj sunt Iara şi satele din valea pârâului Lóna precum şi cele din valea Someşului-Mic.

Ţinutul cuprinde comune în care marea majoritate a locuitorilor sunt de naţionalitate maghiară, şi îşi păstrează tradiţiile şi cultura. În păstrarea tradiţiilor un rol important ocupă bisericile, credinţa a fost o putere hotărâtoare şi în viaţa spirituală a regiunii.
S-a dezvoltat în mare măsură executarea şi comercializarea obiectelor de artă populară la Izvoru Crişului şi în satele vecine. Principalele produse sunt perinile brodate cu mâna, haine, obiecte cioplite din lemn.

În satele din regiune datinile şi obiceiurile populare, păstrate de secole sunt impresionante şi astăzi. Dintre obiceiurile populare care sunt vii şi azi putem amintii colinda de crăciun şi vicleim, stropitul de paşti, nunta şi balul strugurelui. Cu ocazia sărbătorilor religioase oamenii merg la biserică în straie de sărbătoare, iar femeile gătesc mâncăruri tradiţionale.

Caracteristica portului popular este îmbuibarea culorilor şi diversitatea formelor. O bucată nelipsită al portului popular la femei este musuiul, o rochie largă, încreţită, cu bantă, frumos brodat, împodobit cu o panglică de postav roşie, verde sau galben, în faţă fiind acoperit cu un şorţ bogat ornamentat.
Fetele îşi pun în cap cunună împodobită cu panglică şi poartă cizme roşii în picioare. Deasupra bluzei cu mânecă poartă pieptar sau laibăr brodat.
Bărbaţii îmbracă pantaloni strâmţi, de postav, cizme negre, cămeşe largi şi minunate sumane din postav. Flăcăii întregesc acest port cu pălării verzi sau pălării împodobite cu mărgele.



Kalotaszeg Erdély kisebbik magyarok lakta tömbje, több száz éves népi hagyományok bölcsője.
Elnevezését a honfoglaló magyarok itt letelepedett Kalota nemzetségéről kapta, első írásos említése 1443-ból származik.

Bánffyhunyad és Kolozsvár között számos látnivaló várja az utazót: fazsindelyes, festett kazettás mennyezetű műemléktemplomok szinte minden faluban, fatornácos parasztházak, kulturális rendezvények, táncház, élő népviselet hétköznapokon is, az ősi, hagyományos gazdálkodás, és végül, de talán legfontosabbként a vendégszeretet, amiben minden idelátogatónak része lehet.

A tájegység erőteljes magyar közösségeket is magába foglal, amelyek nagyon jól őrzik hagyományaikat és kultúrájukat. A hagyományőrzésben máig kiemelkedő az egyházak szerepe, a vallás meghatározó erő volt a vidék szellemi életében is.
Jankó János így ír az itt élő emberekről:
"A kalotaszegi magyarság mélyen vallásos, nem káromkodik, a templomot szorgalmasan látogatja, papját tiszteli és becsüli, tanácsát megfogadja. Vallásosság dolgában régi hagyományaihoz ragaszkodik. Kétségtelenül ez őszinte vallásosság egyik szép eredménye a magyarság nyugodt, mérsékelt gondolkozása, józan életfelfogása és nemes önérzete, melyről csak ritkán feledkezik meg."

A tájegység falvaiban az évszázadok óta őrzött szokások és hagyományok ma is lenyűgözőek. Az élő népi szokások közé tartozik a karácsonyi kántálás és betlehemezés, húsvéti locsolás, lakodalmi szokások és a szüreti bál. Vallási ünnepek alkalmával ünnepi öltözetben mennek a templomba, és az asszonyok hagyományos ételeket készítenek.
Kőrösfőn - és egyes szomszédos falvakban - nagy fejlődésen ment keresztül a népművészeti tárgyak készítése és forgalmazása. Fontosabb termékeik a kézi hímzésű párnák, ruhák, valamint a faragott fatárgyak.








Churches from Ţara Călatei - Kalotaszeg:


Biserica Reformată-Calvină din Mănăstireni - Magyargyerőmonostori református templom


Biserica Romano-Catolică din Izvoru Crişului - Körösfői Római Katólikus templom


Biserica Reformată din Domoşu - Kalotadámosi Református templom


Biserica Reformată din Horlacea - Járótelki Református templom


Biserica Reformată din Nearşova - Nyárszói Református temmplom


Biserica Reformată din Săncraiu - Kalotaszentkirályi Református templom


Biserica Reformată din Huedin - Bánffyhunyadi Református templom


Cetatea din Bologa - Sebesvár


Cetatea din Liteni - Léta vára


Cetatea din Almaşu - Almási vár


Cetatea din Aghireş - Egeres vára


Cetatea din Gilău - Gyalui vár


Cetatea din Stana - Varjúvár

[bbbarna]

Satul Băgaru - Bogártelke


Biserica din Aghireşu - Egeresi templom

Săncraiu - Kalotaszentrkirály:

[bgp]

Wonderful!! Thanks for starting the thread and for the useful information. It's indeed an extraordinary region, with lots of old monuments, beautiful villages and picturesque landscapes.

Edit: Here there are some of my pictures:

Landscape in April:



Church from Ardeova (Manastireni):



Valeni village:









Tara Calatei/Kalotaszeg seen from the Reformed Church in Valeni, towards Vladeasa Massif:

[bgp]

More photos from Valeni:

[bgp]

Some more:

[bgp]

Some more...

[bgp]

[nenea_hartia]

Fantastic pictures, splendid landscapes. Thank you for opening another great thread, bbbarna!

bgp, those pics inside the church are just fabulous! More, please!

[bgp]

Some pics from Manastireni:











The parish house, I think:

[bgp]

[nenea_hartia]

This is stunning. It gives you a feeling of "authentic". It makes me sick when I see in the rural areas of Romania such houses are demolished to make place to pink, yellow or cyan hideous bunkers made of concrete, iron and plastic.

[MCM83]

The region seems poor and forgotten even by Romanian standards.

[alex_zebe]

It's a mountainous area, so it's something normal to be a little isolated. I prefer this (of course, with the buildings being restored as they once were) to this:

Originally Posted by nenea_hartia

pink, yellow or cyan hideous bunkers made of concrete, iron and plastic.

Great photos btw!

[Derbedeu]

Originally Posted by nenea_hartia

Don't worry bbbarna, you did a great job by opening this thread. I'm ashamed I know so little about this region. Thank you again for your fascinating pictures from these fascinating places. About Transylvania I completely agree with you. Please, keep up the good work.

x2!! Love your threads bbbarna! Especially the info at the beginning.

[bgp]

Originally Posted by MCM83

The region seems poor and forgotten even by Romanian standards.

It may seem poor and forgotten that to you, but it's really not like that. In some of the villages they've got some tourism going on (Sancraiu, Izvorul Crisului), while in the more mountainous part agriculture is pretty solid (in Rasca and Dangau for example, they grow mainly potatoes, there's the anual "Potato Festival", they sell them in Cluj too, they're big and they're tasty ).

The region looks way better then than your average Romanian rural area. There's room for more, of course, but this ain't Switzerland. I've seen many Saxon villages which look awful compared to these.