Biggest traditional festival of Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin – VIDEO
Fifty-five main programmes await the visitors between August 13-15 in Bugac as part of the festival “Ősök napja – Day of the Ancestors”.
After the past year and now that Hungary is finally open, it is time to have fun. The country is more than ready, with endless possibilities to go out and discover what Hungary has to offer.
The Hungarian government decided to organise a three-day-long festival-like event to honour the foundation day of the Hungarian state.
The “biggest August 20 celebration ever” in Budapest to come
If you are looking for something a couple of days earlier, we have a special event for you next week.
“Ősök napja – Day of the Ancestors”, the biggest traditional celebration of Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin,
will be organised for the sixth time in Bugac, in the Southern Great Plain region.
The three-day-long event welcomes visitors and anyone interested in
infantry or equestrian muster, traditional battle shows, artillery competitions, concerts, and family programmes.
The main organiser of the event, András Zsolt Bíró, highlighted that the pandemic left all these festivals aimed at preserving traditions in a very complicated situation over the past one and a half years. That is why it is so crucial to realise this event, even with the necessary precautions.
It is an open-air festival, and programmes continue to be free this year as well.
This August’s Day of the Ancestors has more or less the same schedule visitors are used to from the past years.
The biggest infantry and equestrian parade of Hungarian traditionalists in the Carpathian Basin will, of course, be held.
As of now, almost three hundred horsemen with authentical equipment and weapons signed up. The traditional battle show is extended with a new scene: the siege of the Castle of Zala will also be presented.
The nomadic parade is a new feature to recall how the alliance of tribes marched in those times.
On Sunday (August 15), the traditional artillery competitions will be complemented with a long-range shooting event, added Hello Magyar.
András Zsolt Bíró also highlighted that an archaeological and anthropological exhibition based on materials from the past exhibitions will be held in the world’s biggest yurt, the yurt of Attila.
The exhibition called the Heritage of the Huns and the People of Árpád presents the heritage and legacy of the Carpathian Basin, starting from the Sarmatians through the Huns and the Avars until the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin. Weapons, jewellery, and clothes will be showcased.
Csík Zenekar, Mária Petrás, and the Mongolian Domog band will all perform, and those visiting the festival will get to know the Uyghur folkloric dance, too.
The traditional craftsmen’s market and a wide variety of family programmes cannot be missed.
For the time of the festival, the organisers will open a camping area with running warm water next to Bugac. Moreover, visitors will be welcomed by five bigger and several smaller restaurants, drinking fountains, and resting spots.
The detailed programme of the festival can be found on this website in English.
Here is a trailer and teaser of what awaits you at the festival.
Read alsoGet to know autumn folk traditions in Hungary
Source: kurultaj.hu, hellomagyar.hu
I know from spending winters at Century Village East in Deerfield Beach FL that people in the US are very interested in doing reenactments (not shows) that are so authentic that even as a spectator you feel as if though you lived that period of time. Across from the gated community is a huge public park & there is such an event during the winter. For several days the participants camp there & wear their authentic outfits at all times. Whenever I went across the hwy & walked around I felt that i had entered another time. People take such opportunities very seriously & teaching history thru their reenactments is a valuable contribution to society. And loads of fun for the participants, especially the youngsters.
I will have to make note of this event in Hungary for when I move home from Canada in a couple of years time.