The Dating Scene in Rural Hungary, 1932
Many thanks to the National Geographic which, in its pursuit of conserving World Cultures, took it upon themselves to document life in Rural Hungary in the June, 1932 issue.
Lusty Magyar youths couldn’t just share a shake at the malt shop, or go necking at a drive-in movie in order to share some quality time with their honey. For them, flirting took place 10 feet apart, separated by a wall and surrounded by friends and siblings (and most likely with a mother lurking close by).
Who is courting whom, one wonders. The girl on the far right looks none too pleased with the amount of attention she is receiving.
the Author can’t think of a better caption than ‘Courting Under Difficulties’. She is also delighted to learn the word ‘swain’. Brava National Geographic!
Who knew that dancing the Csárdás was no different than slow dancing to *NSYNC at a middle school dance?
It looks like the male/female ratio in this rural enclave is slightly skewed to the latter.
the Diligent Observer 
It would be fascinating to find out whether anyone from the first photo wound up coupling up.
There’s nothing slow about the Csárdás. My mother used to teach the dance to the young people in town. You have to hang on to your partner to compensate for centrifugal force as the music speeds up and you are spinning around madly. And it is true, at the Hungarian club all the old ladies would dance together.
I’ve never danced or seen the Csárdás, so I greatly appreciate your comment! It sounds rather fun.
I expect the photographer asked the dancer to hold their pose for the photograph. I would love to see an action shot though!
Reblogged this on My Miscellania and commented:
Loved this view into Hungarian life at the time of my father’s youth. From the delightful blog; ADiligentObserver.