Some aspects of maintaining the folk traditions of the German minority in Hungary

Abstract

In this article we will show how the folk traditions of the German minority in Hungary can be passed on to children in a playful way and the methodology and tools that can be used to convey them in an experiential way. We approach the topic through concrete examples of folk traditions, folk customs and related games. The folk customs of the German minority in Hungary play a declining role in family life, and the task of preserving and transmitting them is increasingly down to national minority kindergartens and schools. These national minority educational and training institutions are attended not only by children of members of the German minority in Hungary, but also by ethnic Hungarian children, to whom these folk customs are unknown. These folk customs contribute to the development and strengthening of the children’s national identity. In our paper we illustrate, with a wealth of examples, possible ways of preserving this wealth of disappearing cultural treasure.