Cultural Profile Resource: Hungarian A resource for aged care professionals Birgit Heaney Dip. 19/06/2014 A resource for aged care professionals Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Background ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Daily Life and Social Customs ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Family ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Personal Hygiene .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Leisure and Recreation ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 Religion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Food and Diet .................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Health .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Death and Dying ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Language ......................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Cue Card ......................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Disclaimer ....................................................................................................................................................................... 12 References ....................................................................................................................................................................... 12 2 A resource for aged care professionals Hungarian Culture Profile Introduction This profile of the Hungarian cultural community is just one of the many projects undertaken by Quality Aging. This project aims to provide relevant information for community groups and residential aged care providers to implement “best practice” strategies of care for the older individuals from diverse backgrounds. This project is about ensuring the needs of older persons from a Hungarian cultural background are met. Population trends within Australia are increasingly characterized by a diversity of people, languages and culture. Together with this trend is an aging population, also with a rich diversity of languages and cultures. Not surprisingly then, that residential aged care providers are faced with growing demands for culturally responsive facilities and care. This profile aims to create a tool to provide aged care providers with An awareness of the cultural and linguistically diverse needs of older persons from a Hungarian background. It also strives to enable the professional capability and progress of staff in the provision of culturally inclusive care; and The organisation’s compliance with the Residential Care Standards and National Care Standards as they pertain to the issue of cultural and linguistic needs. The profile provides beneficial information about a variety of subjects and resources. This is a guide only and is not intended to replace one stereotype of this culture with another; it is only intended to provide some insight into the culture. Nor does it reduce the importance of you establishing the individual cultural needs of each person as part of your care planning process. In an effort to continue to provide you with updated information of this profile and improve its contents, we encourage readers to provide feedback by contacting Quality Aging at [email protected] 3 A resource for aged care professionals Background Hungary officially the Republic of Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The capital and largest city is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, and the Visegrád Group, and is a Schengen state. Following a Celtic (after c. 450 BC) and a Roman (9 AD - c. 430 AD) period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungarian ruler à rpad, whose great-grandson Saint Stephen I was crowned with a crown sent from Rome by the pope in 1000 AD. The Kingdom of Hungary lasted for 946 years,and at various points was regarded as one of the cultural centers of the Western world. After about 150 years of partial Ottoman occupation (1541-1699), Hungary was integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy, and later constituted half of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy (1867-1918). A great power until the end of World War I, Hungary lost over 70% of its territory, along with one third of its population of Hungarian ethnicity,and all sea ports under the Treaty of Trianon,the terms of which have been considered excessively harsh by many in Hungary.The kingdom was succeeded by a Communist era (1947-1989) during which Hungary gained widespread international attention regarding the Revolution of 1956 and the unilateral move of opening its border with Austria in 1989, thus accelerating the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. The present form of government is a parliamentary republic, which was established in 1989. Today, Hungary is a high-income economy and a regional leader in some regards. Hungary is one of the thirty most popular tourist destinations of the world, attracting 8.6 million tourists per year (2007).The country is home to the largest thermal water cave system and the second largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Heviz), the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton), and the largest natural grasslands in Europe. 4 A resource for aged care professionals Daily Life and Social Customs Greetings Adults greet each other with a firm handshake. A man usually waits for a woman to extend her hand first. Many Hungarians also puszi, or kiss each other lightly on each cheek. Polite verbal greetings include Jó napot kívánok (Good day), Jó reggelt kívánok (Good morning), and ó estét kívánok (Good evening). Kívánok is often left off in more casual circumstances or is replaced by a person's name. Children may greet older adults with Kezét csókolom (I kiss your hand). Adults might also use this with family or close friends to show special respect. Popular informal greetings include Haló, Szervusz, or Szia, which all mean “Hello.” The latter two terms come from the Latin servus, which once meant “I am here to serve you.” One might follow a greeting with Hogy vagy? (How are you?) or another question. When parting, Hungarians say Viszontlátásra (See you again) or simply Haló, Viszlát, or Szia.. Gestures Good friends, especially among the younger generation, will put their arms around each other's shoulders when they walk in public. Talking with one's hands in one's pockets is considered impolite. While blowing one's nose in public is acceptable, repeated sniffling is considered rude. Shaking one's fist at someone, giving a thumbs-down, or holding a fist with the thumb between the index and middle fingers are all seen as rude or vulgar gestures. To wish a person happy birthday, some Hungarians will pull the person's earlobe slightly while saying “Happy Birthday.” Attire Traditional Hungarian folk costumes are not as common as they once were, but they are still sometimes worn for weddings and festivals. Hungarian folk dress is colourful and richly embroidered. It may feature lace, sashes, boots, or embroidered shoes. Puffed sleeves characterize a woman's garment, while and a vest and long sleeves is worn as a part of male attire Western-style clothes, especially American jeans, are worn by the bulk of the younger population in both urban and rural areas. New clothes are very expensive and brand names such as Levi-Strauss can be bought only by a small segment of the population. Shiny polyester or nylon leisure suits worn with expensive, name-brand sports shoes are signs of new and successful entrepreneurs. 5 A resource for aged care professionals Taboos Older generations of Hungarians may take offense to clinking glasses or bottles together when drinking. It stems from an unfortunate event in Hungary’s history. Younger Hungarians do not necessarily adhere to this custom. Bringing a bottle of imported wine to a dinner party would not be the best option, as Hungarians take pride in their wines as well. Though various types of foreign liquors are an appropriate gesture of gratitude. The above customs are from a time in which the older