The Hungarian playing cards were very important in the childhood of many
Hungarians.
Looking at the name of the cards, it is easy to associate it with Hungary,
however, the playing cards were very popular in many countries of Central
Europe, but the names are different in every country.
The deck which is known as “Magyar kártya” in Hungary differs from the standard deck, as it has only 32 cards, the suits are called: Acorns, Leaves (they sound like «zöld» which means «green), Hearts, and Bells (they sound like «tök» which means «pumpkin»). The symbols of the suits come from the German deck, which has been very popular since the beginning of the 15th century. The suits of the German deck have special meanings: hearts represent the priesthood, leaves represent citizens, acorns show peasantry, and bells represent noblemen. All of the playing cards have Roman numbers from VII to X and include under and upper Jacks, Kings, and Aces.
The four Kings represent anonymous heroes sitting
on the horses. four Aces represent four seasons showing the well-known qualities of these seasons. The Jacks represent characters from
the Swiss legend William Tell. Some figures on the cards don’t
look similar to any heroes, so the choice to use these characters can’t be
explained.
József
Schneider is a creator of the Hungarian playing cards, he
is known as a card
painter and he made the first deck of playing cards in
1836 in Hungary during the revolution times against authorities in Europe. There is the possibility that he designed the Swiss freedom fighters because it
was restricted to represent any Hungarian heroes, such things were censored.
This is one of my favorite playing cards with its impressive
classic design.
As with all type of deck of cards, you can
predict the future with this as well, the layout can be similar to the
gypsy card.
You can name the cards as it pleases you,
but you have to be careful, as I have mentioned here before, once you
made up your mind what to call them, you have to stick to that.
It can be useful for new diviners, as it’s
easy to understand the meaning of the cards. The result will be objective, not
as chatty as the Gypsy or Lenormand card. We would rather rely on the
meanings of the pages and the synonyms of the words and not to the symbols
hidden on the card.
Meaning of the cards
Bells (Pumpkins)
Ace: Big fortune, lucky outcome
King: Older man (50+)
Upper Jack (Knave): Older lady (50+)
Under Jack (Knave): sudden progress (job), career progress
Ten: expense (money), investment,
Nine: Growth in material goods
Eight: Certainty, something will happen
Seven: Solution, progress
Ace: Meeting, encounter, run into someone
King: The querent himself, if he is a man, if the querent is a woman, it denotes the love of her life.
Upper Jack (Knave): The querent herself, if she is a woman, If the querent is a man, it denotes the love of his life.
Under Jack (Knave): thoughts, plans, awareness
Ten: A fresh start, resumption
Nine: Relationships, house, family
Eight: Pleasing good news
Seven: Love, emotions
Ace: News, letter, documents
King: A young man
Upper Jack (Knave): Jealousy, disloyalty
Under Jack (Knave): Loss of hope
Ten: Voyage, overseas, journey
Nine: Joy, positive development
Eight: Falsity, insincerity
Seven: Plans, hopes
Ace: Misfortune, emotional issues cause suffering
King: Legal case, official matters
Upper Jack (Knaves): A young woman
Under Jack (Knaves): Blockage, worries, envy
Ten: Work, profession, career
Nine: Quarrel, dispute, argument
Eight: Illness, malady
Seven: Doom, fall, the end of something