According to some, the descendants of Kabars, according to others, descendants of the Cumans, and again according to other ethnographers, descendants of Avars, Székelys and/or the ancient Hungarians are the Palóc people living in the basins north of Mátra and the central part of the Bükk Region, in the Nógrád Basin and in the valley of Ipoly, whose traditions, which still live to this day, typically determine the intellectual heritage of the Bükk Region.
In addition to the unmistakable palóc dialect, they are characterised by palóc folk costumes and folk religiosity.The Palóc people are Roman Catholic, and Eger and Egerszalók have been pilgrimage places in the geopark since Baroque times.Perhaps nowhere is there as zealous a pilgrim tradition even today as there is among Palóc people.The church is not only regarded as an architectural work, not only as a place of the liturgy, but the church was the residence of the deity itself, and of the patron saints.Church tools were considered healing.Folk religiosity involved the residential and economic buildings of the village as well, as at the time of their completion the priest, the farmer or housekeeper sanctified them.
In many places, the family life of Palóc people is still based on the old patriarchal order.The family is headed by the farmer and the housekeeper.Both positions are occupied by the oldest male and female members of the family (or the troops).The Palóc boy when marries, takes the new daughter-in-law home to his parents’ house.As a result of this custom, many Palóc fathers lived together his three or four married sons and their children.
A western and an eastern group can be distinguished among Palóc people based on their costumes, customs and dances (according to several ethnographers, a group of central Palóc should also be separated).The reason for the differences is that the central and eastern groups were not impacted significantly from abroad compared to the western group.The eastern and central groups live in the area of the Bükk-Region Geopark.In addition, the Barkó people live in the vicinity of Ózd, who some say can be considered an independent group of Hungarian people, but based on their customs and dances, it is more likely that they are a side branch of the Palóc people.
One group of Palóc is the Matyó, who now live in Mezőkövesd, Szentistván and Tard.They lived before in a more extended area than today.These populous settlements can be classified into a common group in terms of dialect, costume, custom and character.Their name is given after King Matthias, who gave them more freedom and even issued and signed a document for them in Mezőkövesd, that is why they were named „the sons of Matthias” and finally “Matyós”.Although those living in Tard consider themselves descendants of some Tatars left behind from the Mongol Invasion, and this is made credible by the Tatar mound above the village, still they can be grouped together with those living in Mezőkövesd and Szentistván.
The Matyó folk art – the embroidery culture of a traditional community – was added to the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humankind at the 7th meeting of UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage in December 2012.
Matyó folk art is characterized by floral, space-filling embroidery from the late 19th century, which is applied on textiles with utility and decorative function.The floral patterns, especially the motif called „Matyó rose”, also play a major role in other handicrafts, especially furniture painting, which is becoming an independent folk art branch.Typical matyó-style embroidery is one of the main components of attire reflecting the civil influence, which is now worn in traditionalist occasions and to represent the matyó community.Examples of such events include Easter watering, the Matyó wedding party and the local church-ale, which are also outstanding opportunities for strengthening identity, making the heritage visible and raising awareness of its importance.The folk art and attire of the Matyó ethnographic group is characteristic, it has become nationally known and even world famous over time.
