ThePalóc[ˈpɒloːt͡s] are a subgroup ofHungarians inNorthern Hungary and southernSlovakia. While the Palóc have retained distinctive traditions, including a very divergent dialect ofHungarian, the Palóc are alsoethnic Hungarians by general consensus. Although their origins are unclear, the Palóc seem to have some sort of connections with theKhazar,Kabar,Pechenegs,Cuman and especially with theAvar tribes. The writings ofKálmán Mikszáth gave new prominence to the people in 1882 with his workThe Good People of Palóc. The Palóc village ofHollókő was proclaimed aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 because of its preservation of traditional Palóc architecture and land use.[1] Two branches of the Palócs can be distinguished based on their place of residence and customs: the western and the eastern (Barkó) Palócs, although the folk customs of both branches are mixed with remnants of ancient inner Asian beliefs andChristianity. They can be further grouped based on their dialect. The residence of the Palócs extends to the often-mentioned Palócföld (Palócland), which used to belong toHont andGömör and Kishont counties, and today it covers partlySlovakian and partlyHungarian areas (Pest,Nógrád,Heves, andBorsod-Abaúj-Zemplén counties):Cserhát,Mátra,Bükk mountains and north of these horizontal basin and theIpoly Valley - nearly 150 settlements.
The Palócs never had special rights, so their first written mention dates only from1656, when the notary fromNagykőrös recorded the following in his account book: "I bought ten pairs of mother of pearl knives from the Palócs". Their own specific ancient name is "had", which is the name of all the Palócs living in the same community who bear the same surname, even if they are form a separate family.
According toBakó Ferenc, ethnographer and museologist, the Palóc people are the direct descendants of thePannonian Avars and someSzékely andKhazar fractions.[citation needed]
In his four-volume monographA Palócok ("The Palóc People"), from 1989, he paid a lot of attention to the pre-Hungarian Conquest origin of the Palóc people. His theory is supported by the Palóc folk legend, the "Palóc Herceg" ("Palóc Prince") and the traditions of the people from theGöcsej region. He found evidence for this theory in lateAvar cemeteries, and many place name which hasAvar origin also support his theory.[2]
According toMagyar Adorján, historian and ethnographer, theAvars and early Palócs have identical folk symbolism with the same central elements as the “sun cross” or the circle “variga” or “vár”, which had the same meaning in both folklore.[3] He thinks that these symbols are the most interesting because in this region there was/is no other population which used these motives except theAvars. In his books (Books:Ázsiából jöttünk-e vagy európai ősnép vagyunk? andŐs Magyar Rovásírás) he brings evidences from theAvar and Palóc folklore for theAvar/Palóc continuity.[4][3]
According to ethnographerFáy Elek, the famous Palóc tradition, the Májfa installation, has anAvar origin as well. He found evidence that theAvars had a very similar ritual with similar meaning, on the other hand, a similar tradition cannot be found among other ethnic groups in the region, till the early16th century when it has become popular all over theregion.[5]
Pintér Sándor, ethnically Palóc lawyer and ethnographer, did a lot of research on the presence of the Palóc people in theCarpathian Basin before theHungarian Conquest, and in his book (A Palócokról / About the Palócs),[6] he argues for theAvar, Palóc continuity, and he writes about the remnant elements of the Palócpaganism in the Palóc traditions, which he believes that these fragments of traditions are from theAvar orHunnic religion, these superstitions, folk motifs and traditions mostly about the Sun or the Fire, which were both very important symbols in theAvar religion as well. He highlights that these folk motives cannot be observed either in the ancient religions of the surrounding peoples or in the ancient Hungarian paganism, so he claims that the only logical explanation is that these elements are from theAvar orHunnic paganism.[6][7]
The Cumans (and some other nomadic/Turkic people) were calledPolovtsy (Polovci/Plavci inSlovak) in Slav sources. ThePalóc word originates from theSlavicPolovets.[8]