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Performers: Judit Raffai folk tale researcher, Eszter Zámborszky storyteller - narrative pedagogue
On May 28, 2025, Wednesday evening from 19:00, we invite all adults who love stories to our online program "The Folk Tale Today" and the Meseszó Association's "ALOUD, what you need to know about stories" series joint event, titled Storytelling Taverns – storytelling occasions past and present.
In 2025, our series is dedicated to traditional and contemporary occasions and venues of storytelling, the "etiquette" of interactions between storyteller and audience, and the history of these traditions' evolution.
In May our guests will be: Judit Raffai, folk tale researcher, deputy educational dean (University of Novi Sad, Subotica Hungarian-Language Teacher Training Faculty) and Eszter Zámborszky, storyteller and narrative pedagogue, who will introduce participants to the history, practice and variations of a storytelling occasion that has become increasingly popular throughout the Carpathian Basin in contemporary folk life and folklorism – the storytelling tavern.
Judit Raffai's presentation summarizes the following: Traditionally, storytelling and story-listening were entertainment for adults. In the 19th century, when the folk tale moved from orality to written form, coinciding with this change of medium, it also became a children's genre, although traditional storytelling occasions for adults continued to exist in parallel, mostly until the second half of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the contemporary storytelling movement created the storytelling tavern form – usually organized in some hospitality venue – as a storytelling occasion for adults, where storytellers entertain audiences with stories intended for adults, following the traditional pattern. In our presentation, we take stock of traditional storytelling occasions for adults and their storytelling customs in light of the contemporary storytellers' storytelling tavern form. Thus we speak not only of the contemporary storytelling movement, the history and forms of the storytelling tavern, but also of the differences between storytelling for children and for adults.
Eszter Zámborszky summarizes her presentation as follows: How does the folk tale come alive again within tavern walls? Who tells stories, what do they tell, and why is an evening at a storytelling tavern so entertaining? In this exciting presentation, we take a peek into one of the interesting phenomena of today's storytelling renaissance, and discover how tradition and communal experience connect – over a drink. Storytelling taverns have become increasingly popular in the Carpathian Basin in recent years. These events not only help revitalize tradition, but also provide communal and cultural experience. The folk tale here is not a "museum piece" but a living, evolving, contemporary story that has something new to tell every generation.
Our program is free but requires registration; we send the zoom link to registered participants the day before the event.
On May 28, 2025, Wednesday evening from 19:00, we invite all adults who love stories to our online program "The Folk Tale Today" and the Meseszó Association's "ALOUD, what you need to know about stories" series joint event, titled Storytelling Taverns – storytelling occasions past and present.
In 2025, our series is dedicated to traditional and contemporary occasions and venues of storytelling, the "etiquette" of interactions between storyteller and audience, and the history of these traditions' evolution.
In May our guests will be: Judit Raffai, folk tale researcher, deputy educational dean (University of Novi Sad, Subotica Hungarian-Language Teacher Training Faculty) and Eszter Zámborszky, storyteller and narrative pedagogue, who will introduce participants to the history, practice and variations of a storytelling occasion that has become increasingly popular throughout the Carpathian Basin in contemporary folk life and folklorism – the storytelling tavern.
Judit Raffai's presentation summarizes the following: Traditionally, storytelling and story-listening were entertainment for adults. In the 19th century, when the folk tale moved from orality to written form, coinciding with this change of medium, it also became a children's genre, although traditional storytelling occasions for adults continued to exist in parallel, mostly until the second half of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the contemporary storytelling movement created the storytelling tavern form – usually organized in some hospitality venue – as a storytelling occasion for adults, where storytellers entertain audiences with stories intended for adults, following the traditional pattern. In our presentation, we take stock of traditional storytelling occasions for adults and their storytelling customs in light of the contemporary storytellers' storytelling tavern form. Thus we speak not only of the contemporary storytelling movement, the history and forms of the storytelling tavern, but also of the differences between storytelling for children and for adults.
Eszter Zámborszky summarizes her presentation as follows: How does the folk tale come alive again within tavern walls? Who tells stories, what do they tell, and why is an evening at a storytelling tavern so entertaining? In this exciting presentation, we take a peek into one of the interesting phenomena of today's storytelling renaissance, and discover how tradition and communal experience connect – over a drink. Storytelling taverns have become increasingly popular in the Carpathian Basin in recent years. These events not only help revitalize tradition, but also provide communal and cultural experience. The folk tale here is not a "museum piece" but a living, evolving, contemporary story that has something new to tell every generation.
Our program is free but requires registration; we send the zoom link to registered participants the day before the event.
As with other events or in other places, photographs and audio recordings may be made at this event. By entering the event, participants give their prior and explicit consent – without further question – to the recording and publication of their face and appearance as they may be recognizable in these recordings, for example for the purpose of promoting similar future events.
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