The members of the Szentes Group 2 spent the last beautiful, sunny days of autumn with a team-building event. Although some families were busy and the seasonal illnesses reduced the number of participants, a large and enthusiastic group still gathered at the community house.
Warming both heart and body, the mothers—and a few enthusiastic fathers—learned the ins and outs of baking the Szegvár wedding loaf (“lakodalmas kalács”).
The tradition of this special pastry dates back to old times. In villages, women preparing for the large tented wedding feasts would bake and cook for at least a week. Thursday and Friday were dedicated to oven-baked pastries, especially the wedding loaf. As early as four in the morning, they would knead more than ten kilos of dough, rolling and baking tirelessly. The oven could barely keep up with the flow of beautifully risen, lattice-topped, and key-patterned delicacies, which were offered not only to the wedding guests but also to onlookers and the villagers who gathered to watch the bridal procession pass through the streets.
There are as many recipes and ways to make the Szegvár wedding loaf as there are elderly women you ask—but one thing is always the same, and it is the real secret: it is made by hand, with love.
During today’s family day, everyone could experience what it feels like to put heart and soul into the dough—and the dough surely felt it too. Some measured the ingredients, others kneaded, cut, rolled, or brushed the dough, and in the end, everyone joyfully tasted the result of their teamwork: the soft, sticky, sweet bread.
The children were not bored either—while the parents were busy baking, they played foosball and chess tournaments, joined a movie club with their young mentors, and with the help of our volunteer, Erzsike néni, discovered a creative way to use books by folding them into small paper gifts.
The smell of freshly baked kalács drew everyone together, and the parents proudly admired their creation. Although their hands were uncertain at the beginning, by the end everyone had mastered the technique, and soon we were preparing more dough—busy hands filling baking trays in the blink of an eye.
No one left hungry or without a smile today. The baking, the teamwork, and finally enjoying the **fruits of our labor—the kalács itself—**brought everyone closer together.
Eszter Csernákné Bába, parent, Group 2