József Szilágyi
Rac people of Tokol
The Rac People Then and Now
The roots of the Rac people present a very colorful picture; all this is because Rac families came from many places between the 1620s and the early 1700s. To the surroundings of Pest and Buda the Racs arrived from Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slavonia, Srem, but primarily from Dalmatia, from the seaside. This book of mine – the eighth in a row – aims to show from which coastal regions the first Rac families came to Tokol.
The former Rac priest of Erd, Joso Kudo, born in Tokol in 1885, wrote books about his family and the past of the Rac people. In one of his books he mentioned the names of the first Rac families of Tokol. Among those names we can find some that are still well-known in Tokol today: Radnić, Milković, Marić, Rozgić and others.
I began searching where I could find such names in the Balkans, and I found them in the areas of Split, Trogir, Vrlika, Šibenik, Sinj and the regions along the Cetina river. At that time there were many people there with the same surnames that can also be found among the Racs in Tokol, or in other Rac villages around Pest and Buda. I must mention Sitno in today’s Croatia, where the Radnić once lived, then the village of Mitlo, the village of Vojnić Sinjski, the surroundings of Vrlika and the town of Drniš where the Milković lived, and the former village of Zmina where the Rozgić, Marić and Šarić lived. In those regions I also found other Rac surnames: Šarac, Tokić, Benković, Kudo(zović), Banović, Burilović, Bilić, Antunović, Šešić.
At the time when the first Rac families arrived in Tokol, in those coastal and Dalmatian mountainous areas lived the Vlachs, a shepherd people without their own state. They lived among Serbs and Croats, and precisely because of this there were both Orthodox and Catholic among them. They did not yet even have their own name: others called them Vlachs, Morlachs, Bunjevci, and later Racs once they had already settled in Hungary. Those first Racs reached the villages along the Danube already during Turkish times, and so they settled in Tokol, Ercsi, Erd, Torokbalint, Perkata, Buda and so on. They were not only shepherds but also soldiers of the Turks.
It should also be mentioned that the Racs had customs which were found nowhere else in Hungary: the blessing of parents at weddings, wedding songs, and other traditions. The Racs of Tokol often gave their children old Rac names such as Miloš, Vaso, Mitar, Jovan, Jovanka, Persida, Pelagija.
Almost four hundred years have passed since the first Rac families settled in Tokol, and many Rac traditions have already disappeared. After the Second World War, life changed: most people no longer worked the land but went to study or work in Pest, and the old Rac community slowly began to disintegrate. Yet it must also be noted that in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, when life became somewhat easier and people had more free time, new things appeared: cultural life became more vibrant, and Tokol’s folk musicians, singers and dancers became well-known throughout Hungary. At that time large weddings were held in Tokol, sometimes with 400 guests; festivals on Candlemas or Holy Saturday were especially large, with around 1500 people attending.
Fifty years ago nearly three thousand people still spoke the Rac language; unfortunately today not even thirty remain, and the Rac language will gradually disappear. Rac words can still be heard at Rac Masses every Saturday, and at funerals, when Rac church singers perform. There are still many musicians in Tokol, and several bands: Kolo, Ledina, Prekovac; besides the men’s choir of the elder Racs we should also mention the choir Komšije. The dancers of Tokol travel to many places to showcase our dances.
The Racs of Tokol most often associate with the Racs of Ercsi, and sometimes they also meet with the Racs of Erd and with those from the surroundings of Kalocsa.
Relatives of the Racs from Erd belonging to the people of Tokol: Julianna Kovács and her relatives
Mátyás Kokics, Antal Radnics and József Ágics
Pál Milkovics (top row, far right) and friends, including Péter Radnics, Gergely Bruszt, and József Nyilas
Outer semicircle: Gergely Dragovics, Márk Magyarics, Pál Bednanics, Pál Marlyin, Gergely Marlyin.
Inner semicircle: Gergely Joszkin, József Ágics, Márk Dragovics, János Dragovics, Antal Radnics, László Zsurzsucz
Mária Marlyin, wife of János Polyák, together with Ágnes Gergényi and Julianna Gergényi
Simon Dragovics, Simon Radnics and János Gergics
Radnics, Péter Takács and Márk Dragovics
Margit Milkovics, wife of János Sárácz; Teréz Milkovics, wife of Péter Milkovics; Mária Milkovics, wife of Jeromos Vukov; and Jeromos
György Schneider and his wife, Katalin Gabelics, with their children Katalin, János, and György
András Gergics and his wife, Magdolna Rozgics, together with their family members
In the photo, among others: András Dragovics and Mátyás Csvárics
István Zsurzsucz, as well as Antal Radnics and his wife, Terézia Milkovics
A lakodalmas menetben többek között: Vukov Miklós és neje, Tomin Paula; Tomin Jánosné Sárácz Paula; Révai Frigyes és felesége, Burlovics Mária, valamint Fellegi Istvánné Madlyéna Teréz
Katalin Teichter, wife of István Bednanics; Matild Sárácz, wife of Mátyás Dragovics; Mária Pálházi, wife of Ferenc Pandúr; Magdolna Ágics, wife of József Farkas; Anna Istvánov, wife of István Zsurzsucz; and Paula Radnics, wife of János Puskás
Pál Milkovics and his wife, Ágnes Radnics
Jolán Gabelics, wife of Béla Krémó, as a bride with her relatives
The wedding procession of József Malaczkó and Katalin Kirchner, with Mihály Plausin offering
Celebration of wedding anniversaries in the church of Tököl in 1996
András Kővári at the celebration of his 80th birthday in 2018
Magdolna Burlovics, wife of Antal Sárácz, at the celebration of her 97th birthday in 2019; together with her daughter Katalin Sárácz, wife of József Szilágyi; her son-in-law József Szilágyi; her son Antal Sárácz; her daughter Magdolna Sárácz, wife of Krumn Petkov Simeonov; and her great-granddaughter Zorka Szilágyi.
Sándor Tomin’s 80th birthday in 2019. Also pictured, among others: Ágnes Pesuth, wife of Gábor Csicsics; András Sovány; József Istvánov; János Joszkin; László Halász; Anna Tádics, wife of Ferenc Gyüre; and Antal Antunovics
Márk Vászin, his wife Mária Sárácz, and their grandchildren Márk Vászin and Milica Vászin at a family celebration
The calling card of István Pasztorek, parish priest in Tokol between 1892 and 1926
Altar Society membership card issued in the name of Margit Kudó
Page from a Rac prayer book from 1909
Corpus Christi procession – 2019. In the foreground: Mária Bagyó, wife of Antal Rozgics; Mária Ágics, wife of László Barits; and Magdolna Istvánov, wife of János Horváth
Blessing of sacramentals (apple, garlic, salt) in Tokol on the feast of Saint Anthony the Hermit in 2019
Members of the Tokol tamburitza orchestra and the Rac Men’s Choir in earlier times: Mihály Milkovics, János Marelyin, István Kirchner, Antal Bosnyák, Antal Csvórics, Sándor Bosnyák, and János Tomin
Performance of the Tokol South Slavic Nationality Ensemble in 1997 in Novi
from the performances of the active members of the Tokol South Slavic Nationality Ensemble
Photos taken at the performance of the tradition-preserving group of the Tokol South Slavic Nationality Ensemble in 2018
players in the
language
Tradicionalni racki božićni kolač, čurek (2018.) [izradila Marta Bednanić, supruga Karabana], te tradicionalni racki božićni stropni ukras [(božićno kolo / kriskindla), izradio Ivan Révai]
Easter sprinkling with music by the Ledina Orchestra and members of the Tokol South Slavic Nationality Ensemble
Singing Easter sprinklers: Péter Ágics and János Révai
Easter Monday community program with the Ledina Orchestra and members of the Tokol South Slavic Nationality Ensemble
Visit of people from Tokol to the Erd Grape Blossom Festival. In the photo, among others: Ildikó Rézbányai, wife of János Jokán; Annamária Ágics; Márta Szentivánszky, wife of Mihály Ágics; and Nikoletta Bednanics-Ágics
Group photo of the Tokol Komsije Folk Song Circle, the Ercsi Zorica Dance Group, and the Erd Igraj kolo Dance Group in Erd in 2017
In the foreground: members of the Tokol Komsije Folk Song Circle at the Rac Carnival in Ercsi in 2017
pig
Carriage driving competition in Tokol. In the photo: Andrea Csepelszigeti and Adrienn Csepelszigeti
Photos from the community programs of Racs, Swabians, and Hungarians on the Urbanica Island in Tokol
Members of the Ledina Orchestra and the Tokol South Slavic Nationality Ensemble
from the presentation of the publication “The Origins and Folk Customs of the Racs of
Research on the origins of people from Tokol in the village of Mandino Selo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2016. In the photo: János Szilágyi, István Cseperkáló, István Istvánov, József Szilágyi, József Ágics, József Major, Antal Pesuth, András Marlyin, and József Németh
Martin Henzelmann, linguist at the University of Hamburg, Germany, during his research on the Rac dialect of Tokol in 2017. In the photo: interviewee Magdolna Burlovics, wife of Antal Sárácz
Martin Henzelmann, linguist at the University of Hamburg, Germany, during his research on the Rac dialect of Tokol in 2017. In the photos: his interviewees Paula Dragovics, wife of Antal Vászin, and Anna Gergics, wife of István Horváth
Rac women’s vests from Tokol preserved in the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest
A document from 1857 by János Sárácz, former parish priest of Tokol, listing the following names: Péter Barisin, Mihály Radnits, Mihály Sárácz, János Jokán, István Marelin, Gergely Dragovits, Lukács Ásin, Pál Radnits, Iván Krémó, Miksa Jerko, Mihály Ágits, Márk Szávits, Mátyás Gnyálin, and György Zsurits
Share certificate issued in the name of Fábián Istvánov from Tokol in 1895
Gravestone of the Radnić family in Vrlika, Croatia
The Radnics family crypt in Tokol
Tomb inscription of Ilija Milković in Vrlika, Croatia
Gravestone of Gábré (Gábor) Milkovics in Tokol
Funeral notice of Péter Cseperkáló from 2016, with the family’s nickname “Mákszó” derived from a given name
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