Festivals in Hungary

Christmas in Hungary: Christmas is the greatest family festival in Hungary. It is celebrated with ancient customs

and traditions. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

December 24^th is Christmas Eve. The Christmas tree a fir or a pine is decorated and people are given a lot of presents. Most families go to the midnight service in

church. On the first and second day of Xmas families have big meals and visit each other in the afternoons.

On Christmas Day the family gathers round the table to part take of the traditional Hungarian Christmas lunch. Two things are essential parts of this meal: stuffed cabbage and poppy-seed cake. The rest of the meal is usually beef soup

followed by pork chops or turkey.

Easter in Hungary: At Easter we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. that is the rising of Jesus from the tomb 3 days after his Crucifixion.

Most Easter traditions are associated with Easter Monday when boys set out to call on their female friends and  relatives and sprinkle them with perfume or water. Girls. in return. treat them to home-made cakes or some drinks

and present them with eggs painted mainly red. green or yellow. Children are also presented at Easter with either some chocolate eggs or a chocolate Easter bunny.

A typical Easter Sunday breakfast consists of ham and hard boiled eggs.

There are no set dishes that we eat for lunch at Easter. As a general rule people usually have chicken sop. pork or veal cutlet followed by some desserts.

New Year’s Eve: On this day people sit up till after midnight to see the new year in . At midnight we sing the national anthem and drink champagne. Some people go to parties and dance others watch television.

March 15^th : We commemorate the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-49.

May 1^st : It is a spring holiday when maypoles are put in the gardens.

August 20^th : It is the day of king Stephen 1^st. On this day we commemorate the founding of our state almost a thousand years ago. There are different programmes all over the country. for example the famous flower carnival

in Debrecen.

October 23^rd : On this day we celebrate the declaration of the Hungarian Republic and commemorate the revolution of 1956.