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Hungarian HolidaysVarious public & national holidays observed in Hungary |
| sitesworld.comDate | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Újév | According to tradition, lentil soup eaten on this day makes people wealthy, rolling out strudel dough guarantees long life, eating poultry will make luck "fly away". |
| 15 March | National Day | Nemzeti ünnep | Márciusi ifjak ("March youths"), memorial day of the 1848 Revolution. There are usually speeches and music pieces performed; many people wear a cockade with the national colours (red, white and green). |
| Moveable | Easter Sunday | Húsvétvasárnap | Good Friday work-free for Protestants. |
| Moveable | Easter Monday | Húsvéthétfő | Men visit women to sprinkle them with perfume (or in the countryside, sometimes water), first asking permission by reciting a verse. In return, the women give the men eggs (sometimes painted, sometimes chocolate). Children receive chocolate eggs (sometimes fruits and nuts, chocolate rabbits), from the Easter Bunny; these gifts are sometimes hidden in the garden or house. (Real rabbits are sometimes gifted.) The day's meal is often ham, eggs, and sweetbreads for dinner. |
| 1 May | Labour day; anniversary of the accession to the EU | A munka ünnepe | The countries of the EU are represented with special programmes, bridges are decorated and exhibitions are held. Labour Day coincides with May Day ( majális ); many attend outdoor festivities in public parks. |
| Moveable | Pentecost Sunday | Pünkösdvasárnap | Sunday, 50 days after Easter |
| Moveable | Pentecost Monday | Pünkösdhétfő | Monday after Pentecost |
| 20 August | Saint Stephen's Day | Szent István ünnepe | St. Stephen's Day, Foundation of State, "the day of the new bread". St. Stephen of Hungary ( Szent István király in Hungarian) (ca. 975 – 15 August 1038), was the first king of Hungary, and led the country into the Christian church. Celebrated with a half-hour fireworks display on the bank of the Danube in the evening, which is attended by many people on both river banks and is watched by many from the hills on the Buda side of the river. |
| 23 October | National Day | Nemzeti ünnep | The day of the proclamation of the Third Hungarian Republic (since 1989), 1956 Revolution memorial day. Celebrated with speeches and exhibitions. |
| 1 November | All Saints Day | Mindenszentek | Day of remembrance of the dead. Graves in Christian cemeteries are decorated with flowers and candles, by family and friends of the dead. |
| 25 December | Christmas | Karácsony | Public transport stops operating at about 4 pm on the 24th ("Szenteste") as most families gather to celebrate, placing presents under a Christmas tree which has been decorated while the children are away from the house. Presents are then opened and a large meal eaten in celebration of the event. On 25th and 26th, people usually visit relatives. |
| 26 December | Second Day of Christmas | Karácsony másnapja | sitesworld.com |
| sitesworld.comDate | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 February | Memorial Day of the Republic | A köztársaság emléknapja | Commemorating the law (1946. évi I. törvény) on the proclamation of the republic in 1946, memorial day since 2006. |
| 25 February | Memorial Day for the Victims of the Communist Dictatorships | A kommunista diktatúrák áldozatainak emléknapja | On this day in 1947 Béla Kovács, Secretary-General of the Independent Smallholders' Party was arrested and deported to the Soviet Union. Memorial day since 2000, commemorations are held in high schools. |
| 16 April | Memorial Day for the Victims of the Holocaust | A holokauszt áldozatainak emléknapja | On this day in 1944 the Jews of Subcarpathia were rounded up and forced into ghettos. Memorial day since 2001, commemorations are held in high schools. |
| 21 May | National Defense Day | Honvédelmi nap | Battle of Buda (1849) |
| 4 June | Day of National Unity | A nemzeti összetartozás napja | Commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Trianon, when the Kingdom of Hungary lost 72% of its territory. National memorial day since 2010. |
| 19 June | Day of the Independent Hungary | A független Magyarország napja | Commemorating the execution of the martyrs of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution (on 16 June 1958), and the anniversary of the end of the Soviet occupation of Hungary. Memorial day since 2001. |
| 6 October | Memorial Day for the Martyrs of Arad | Az aradi vértanúk emléknapja | Commemorating the anniversary of the execution of the 13 Martyrs of Arad. National memorial day, commemorations are held in high schools.sitesworld.com |
| sitesworld.comDate | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 March | International Women's Day | Nemzetközi nőnap | Women get flowers and gifts from their employers and schoolchildren often bring gifts for their teachers. |
| 6 December | Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas Day | Mikulás , Télapó | On this day, every Hungarian child polishes their boots and puts them in the window. Mikulás comes in the night and fills them with chocolates and/or small presents. If they were bad, they might get sticks instead of, or as well as, presents. |
| 31 December | New Year's Eve | Szilveszter | Young people go partying until morning. Streets are noisy with paper trumpets, hoots and the pop of champagne corks; people often wear masks and throw petards. Those who stay home usually watch comedies made for the occasion; at midnight they drink champagne and wish each other good luck for the new year. National television channels broadcast orchestral and choral national anthem at midnight, and then the speech of the President. Firework displays are common. The next day streets are as empty as ever, and people sleep long (or sleep themselves sober). Lentils are eaten, symbolising coins for good luck. |
| Moveable | Carnival | Farsang | A six day regional carnival, originally celebrated by the àokci (ethnic-Croatians) living in the town of Mohács. Traditions include folk music, masquerading, parades and dancing.sitesworld.com |
| sitesworld.comMonth | Event name | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARCH | The Spring Uprising | 15 Mar | A public holiday marks the day in 1848 when the youth of Buda, led by the poet Sándor Petőfi, rebelled against the Habsburg occupation of Hungary, Thousands of people take to the streets to lay wreaths and light eternal flames, wearing the national colours of red, white and green. There are speeches and street theatre, especially in front of the Hungarian National Museum. |
| MARCH | Spring Festival | the last two weeks of Mar-mid. Apr. | Top national and international musicians gather for several weeks of music and dance in churches and concert halls all over Budapest. The emphasis of the festival is on the classical tradition, but also in evidence are hungarian folk music and dance, as well as pop and jazz. |
| APRIL | World Dance Festival | end of April | The National Dance Theatre and the Association of Hungarian Dance Artists organize this festival every year, with participation from top Hungarian dance groups and foreign guest artists. Castle Theatre, Erkel Theatre, the Light Opera Theatre and the Hungarian State Opera House hold the events. |
| APRIL | Horse Racing | Sundays Apr-Oct. | April sees the beginning of the flat-racing season. Place your bets at the busy and charmingly down-at-heel Kincsem Park race course on Albertirsai út. |
| MAY | May Day | 1 May | No longer a compulsory display of patriotism, May Day celebrations take place in public parks all over the city and involve craft markets, street performers and sausage and beer tents. A dip in the local thermal bath or swimming pool is another popular May Day activity. |
| MAY | Concerts in St Stephen's Basilica | May-Oct | Thursday evening organ concerts in the city's largest church provide a perfect opportunity to study the lavish interior decoration of this extraordinary building. |
| JUNE | Open-Air Theatre Festival | Jun-Aug | Margaret and Óbuda Islands provide two of the major venues for this summer-long, open-air arts festival. |
| JUNE | Budapesti Búcsú | last weekend in Jun | A mixture of music, dance and theatre celebrates the departure from Hungary of Soviet troops in 1991. |
| JULY | Hungarian Grand Prix | end of July | The biggest event in the Hungarian sporting calendar takes place east of the city, at Mogyoród race track. |
| JULY | Chain Bridge Festival | weekends of Jul-Aug | A lively series of free events including concerts and dance, traditional arts and crafts, street theatre, parades and activities for children. |
| JULY | Budapest Summer Opera and Ballet Festival | Jul or Aug | Look out for the ten-day series of shows that makes up the summer season at the Hungarian State Opera House. |
| AUGUST | St István's Day | 20 Aug | St István, the patron saint of Hungary, is celebrated with mass in St Stephen's Basilica followed by a huge procession. The day ends with fireworks on Gellért Hill and along the Danube. |
| AUGUST | Sziget Festival | Aug | Ten stages and a camp site are set up on Óbuda Island for this popular week-long festival of rock, folk and jazz. |
| SEPTEMBER | Budapest Wine Festival | 2nd week of Sept | After the late-August grape harvest, wine makers set up their stalls for wine tastings and folk dancing on Buda's Castle Hill and in sqares around the city. |
| OCTOBER | Spar Budapest International Marathon and Running Festival | Oct | There is a marathon, a relay race, a mini-marathon and a family running competition for participants. Concerts and events are held for spectators. |
| OCTOBER | Autumn Festival | middle of Oct. | Several weeks of contemporary film, dance and theatre at venues across the city. |
| NOVEMBER | Budapest Christmas Fair | 26 Nov- 24 Dec. | The Budapest Christmas Market transforms Vörösmarty Square into a festive marketplace, where Hungarian artists and craftsmen display their work and national dishes are served. |
| JANUARY | New Year's Gala Concert | 1 Jan | This cheerful occasion is an excellent way to start the new year. Outstanding Hungarian and foreign artists perform excerpts from European opera and musicals, providing a lively evening of music. |
| FEBRUARY | Hungarian Film Festival | early Febr. | This two-day celebration of Hungarian film has been run by the Magyar Filmszemle since 1969, to attract funding to a hard-pressed industry. Many films are subtitled. |
| FEBRUARY | Masked-Ball Season | Febr. | Budapest forgets the cold weather to welcome the coming spring, and the arrival of the farsang, fancy dreass masked-ball season. The climax of the season is the spectacular Opera Ball and a masked procession, on the last Saturday and Sunday before Lent, respectively.sitesworld.com |