The life of the Puszta peasants is very interesting for townspeople. They are sturdy men, brown and vigorous, steeled against the hardships of the weather; at the same time, polite and obliging, an honest, wide-awake race, uniting in itself all the good characteristics of the Hungarian nation. They lead the life of shepherds, and have as many castes as there are varieties; their aristocracy is formed by the Csikos (horse-herds), excellent riders, who can catch any horse in the herd, with their agile lasso; then come the Gulyas (cow-herds), the Juhasz (shepherds) and last of all the Kondas (swine-herds). Their task is the guarding of the cattle, which graze here in large numbers; on the Hortobagy alone, arc 5000 horses, 17,000 head of oxen, 3000 head of swine and about 30,000 sheep, without counting the stud of the town Debreczen.

The costume of the Csikos is particularly interesting; it is composed of a shirt, with wide flowing sleeves, loose, white, skirt-like trousers, a waistcoat decorated with little white metal buttons, a felt hat, high boots, and lastly, a rough cloth cloak, abundantly ornamented. The Csikos not only employs the lasso, but also a curious, shorthanded whip, decorated with leather bands, iron rings, and ornaments of lead.

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Adapted from Illustrated Description of Hungary and its Capital