In Apata commune, which inhabitants are mostly Magyar ethnics, Christmas has a special signification, gathering all of them. Every housewife cleans and decorates the house, set-up the Christmas Tree and cooks delicious meals for the biggest Christian feast.
Ritual Slaughtering
The mayor Iuliu Boloni and the vice-mayor Laszlo Boloni have been participated since their where kids at the community?s feasts such as ?The Rooster?s shooting?, ?Farshang?, the ritual pig?s slaughtering and the cooking of the traditional pork meat recipes. ?The pig?s slaughtering ritual is a tradition in our community. Once butchered, the animal is scorched with straw, to give the bacon a good taste. We use the tripe to make a delicious pepper stew; all this time we keep drinking our traditional brandy, just to create a working atmosphere.
If there is cold outside, we drink brandy with honey or caraway? mayor Boloni confess.
?Hajharka? Sausages
The Hungarian gastronomy is highly appreciated by the local and foreign tourists, who come around just to taste the tempting meals. The most famous are ?hajharka? sausages, bigger than the ordinary sausages, smoked and conserved till lately in spring, when
the haricot is mature; women make a delicious haricots soup with hajharka sausages.
Another Hungarian famous recipe is the smoked bacon with paprika, eaten by the peasants working the field.
Between Christmas and Farshang
On Christmas Eve, the children from Apata go to church to say poetries. All the inhabitants attend the religious service; at the end, the youths wearing traditional clothes dance Magyar dances. Every year, the local authorities give presents to the elders older than 70. Last year, 200 packs were offered to the persons in difficulty. The winter feasts finish with the Farshang, celebrated before the Lent.
