Jászdózsa Summary
Jászdózsa
Summary
Summary
The village was first mentioned in the form of Dosa in 1433. Toponyms created simply from proper names go back to before the XII century. No data have been preserved from documents dated in earlier times, and it is not known when the Jazygians moved into the village.
It is a fact that Dózsa was recorded as one of the Jazygian settlements in the talliage-lists before 1550, and the Turkish defter dated at that time. According to traditions, the inhabitants came from the adjacent Négyszállás. One part of the land area of the village certainly belonged to Négyszállás, and it was also recorded that the stones of the church in Négyszállás (in the area of Jászberény) were collected for the construction of their own church. The land area was marshy, covered with water due to the frequent floods of river Tarna. However, the population started to localise and drain it partly as early as at the beginning of the XVIII century, converting meadows and water-covered areas into arable land. In the XIX century even pastures were eliminated, and ranches were created in the territory (372 ranches). In 1702, Jászság, Kiskunság and Nagykunság were sold to the Teutonic Order, which put an end to their privileges. Queen Maria Theresa, however, made redemption possible for all the three districts. Thus, they became parts of a free district from 1745 until 1848. They had an autonomous public administration and legislation even at the level of the individual settlements. Due to their privileged position, they could be elevated over their environment of serfdom, and they could even obtain land areas after 1848.
Significant excavations took place around the village (relics from the Bronze Age on the hill of the Blessed Virgin, or the Chapel-hill by a different name; and a Jazygian cemetery and a medieval church in Négyszállás). Both archaeological, as well as ethnographical and anthropological research has made it probable that its Jazygian ethnic population has been continuous. There was a significant settlement from the north (the land of the Palots), but the local population could assimilate the newcomers.
The people could even obtain wasteland properties in the Kiskunság during the redemption, where they kept about 500-600 pieces of cattle (Jászszentlászló). The village itself lies on the right bank of the Tarna river, where typically densely arranged, small plots of land were created, while there were gardens on the left bank of the Tarna, where domestic animals were kept.
The villagers are of the Roman Catholic faith. They belong the diocese of Eger, but they have chosen their priests themselves ever since the Middle Ages, and the community represents the real power. The beautiful baroque church of the village carries the name of Saint Nicolas. Another popular sight is a stone bridge built in the 1810-ies. The extended world of ranches of the farming settlement became the victim of the politics of the sixties and seventies.
The village with its inner plots still preserves the old settlement structure dotted with gardens. Its customs – which were typical both of its inner area and the ranches – are only alive in memory. A large-scale ethnographic and historical collection process took place in the village, by which this ancient Jazygian village could be scientifically documented with the help of objective evidence, as well as data collections and musical materials. The village could continue the archaeological activity of its ancestors until recent times.
Religious practice, and religious societies, however, managed to preserve part of the traditions. The remains of some customs are still alive. The ethnographic circle and regional centre founded by János Gulyás serve as a nest for the elder and the rising generation.
