Traditional ways to say Goodbye to Winter: Carnival time in Hungary!

Carnival is all about joy, entertainment, having fun and preserving the carnival rituals in Hungary. The whole point of carnivals was to oust winter and warmly welcome the new season: spring. Officially, carnival season is from Twelfth Day (5th or 6th January) to the last week before Lent. During ‘carnival tail’,  one can carouse and have lots of fun loudly. Carnival’s most attractive and spectacular part is when people parade in fancy or scary masquerades.

There are a couple of Hungarian traditions to chase away winter and welcome spring. The most well-known is busójárás and tikverőzés. Besides these two, other old Hungarian traditions are still alive, szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu gathered some unique Hungarian festivals at this time of year.

WHEN IS IT?

Officially, in 2019, carnival season is from Twelfth Day (5th or 6th January) to the 6th of March. The first day of carnival tail is ‘Carnival Sunday’. This day used to be the day of choosing one’s mate. The girls sent bouquets of posy to those boys whom they liked, and the boys put that girl’s bouquet on their hat that they liked back. So, this is how the young boys and girls chose each other as mates.

The second day (Monday) was women’s carnival day; the day when women could carouse and drink alcohol just like men.

The last day of carnival tail, Shrove Tuesday, marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day fasting period before Easter. This year, Shrove Tuesday is on the 5th of March 2019.

TIKVERŐZÉS IN MOHA:

Moha has a history with its tradition ‘tikverőzés’ that is on Shrove Tuesday. Boys wear masquerades as clowns with rag tapes or chimney sweeps. They go from house to house and gather eggs from hen-houses. The clowns imitate beating the hens to make them ‘more fertile’. The chimney sweeps make everyone’s clothes sooty. These guests drink wine and eat doughnuts.

The citizens of Moha still preserve their habits even today. The ‘tikverőzés’ made its way to the National Cultural and Intellectual Heritage List in 2011.

‘Tikverőzés’ is on the 5th of March 2019 in Moha.

BUSÓ WALKING IN MOHÁCS:

The tradition called ‘busó walking‘ in Mohács is probably the most famous Hungarian folk custom to oust winter. People walk around and sing in horrifying wooden masks and in fur coats. They also make a parade with loud music and ‘busó dance’. At the end of the day, busós burn a coffin that symbolises winter.