Festivals, holidays, Celebrations

Carnival Season – Farsang – Costume parties and carnivals take place all month long to mark the end of winter, especially on the last Saturday in February. City festivities usually include carnival, parade and open-air music concert. A great celebration is held in Mohács called the ’Busójárás’. People dress up as scary animals, burn the winter away and dance. This tradition is similar to the Bulgarian tradicion called Kukiri and aims to scare away the bad spirits.

15th of March 1848 Revolution Day – The “Hungarian spring” – a fight for freedom against Habsburg domination which later led to war against Austria and its allies. Each year on March 15, the Hungarian tricolors of red, white, and green are prominently displayed all over the country.
20th of August St. Stephen’s Day – In the year of 1000, Hungary’s first king, the St Stephen, was crowned this day, and the Hungarian state was founded.  Parades and music are among the festivities, and an impressive fireworks show is launched over the Danube at night.

23th of October 1956 Uprising Memorial Day This national holiday commemorates the outbreak of the people’s uprising against Soviet domination in 1956.

The origin of Hungarians

A king had two sons: Hunor and Magor. They both had hundreds of lads to escort them. One day on hunting they saw a beautiful wonderdeer. They chased it for many-many days. The wonderdeer led them to a country where the forests were full of prey and the water was full of fish. It disappeared in a lake. Next day they were woken up by hundreds of fairies singing. The land’s king’s two daughters were dancing there. Hunor and Magor felt in love with the princesses. They married them and their lads married the fairies. The descendant of Hunor and his lads are the Huns, the descendants of Magor are the Magyars (Hungarians).