Hungarian proverbs and sayings related to winter and Christmas

Proverbs and sayings are traditional, pithy, often formulaic and/or figurative, fairly stable and generally recognisable expressions that constitute an important part of everyday language use. They may come up in any situation, often express some commonplace truth or useful thought, and mostly originate from folk culture. Proverbs are passed from generation to generation by word of mouth until they become integral elements in the given language.

In this article, we have collected some Hungarian proverbs and sayings that are related to winter and Christmas.

1. A kutya nem eszi meg a telet. / Egy telet sem evett még meg a farkas. [ʌ kʊtjʌ nɛm ɛsɪ mɛg tɛlɛt / ɛɟ tɛlɛt sɛm ɛvɛt meːg mɛg ʌ fʌrkʌʃ]

literal translation: Dogs do not eat winter. / Wolves have eaten not one winter yet.

meaning: Winters usually do not pass without snow and at least a few really cold days.

2. Aki nyárban nem gyűjt, télen keveset fűt. [ʌkɪ ɲɑːrbʌn nɛm ɟyːjt, teːlɛn kɛvɛsɛt fyːt]

literal translation: Those who do not collect in the summer have little to heat with in the winter.

meaning: It is advisable to save money when you have the opportunity, otherwise, you will have to face difficulties later.

3. Elmúlt, mint a tavalyi hó. [ɛlmuːlt mɪnt ʌ tʌvʌji hɔː]

literal translation: It is gone like last year’s snow.

meaning: Someone or something is gone. Something disappeared without a trace.

4. Fekete karácsony, fehér húsvét. Fehér karácsony, zöld húsvét. [fɛkɛtɛ kʌrɑːtʃɒɲ, fɛheːr huːʃveːt; fɛheːr kʌrɑːtʃɒɲ, zəld huːʃveːt]

literal translation: White Christmas, green Easter. Black Christmas, white Easter.

meaning: According to common observation, if there is no snow on Christmas Day, the weather will be cold and snowy during Easter. The next saying states the opposite: if we have a white Christmas, we can expect warm and spring-like weather during Easter.

(There is a similar saying in German: grüne Weihnachten, weiße Ostern (green Christmas, white Easter).

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5. Ha Katalin kopog, karácsony locsog. Ha Katalin locsog, karácsony kopog. [hʌ kʌtʌlɪn kɒpɒg, kʌrɑːtʃɒɲ lɒtʃɒg; hʌ kʌtʌlɪn lɒtʃɒg, kʌrɑːtʃɒɲ kɒpɒg]

literal translation: If Katalin knocks, Christmas will be slushy. If Katalin is slushy, Christmas will knock.

meaning: If the temperature is below freezing on Katalin’s name day (25 November), the weather will probably be mild during Christmas. The next saying states the opposite: if the weather is mild on Katalin’s name day, we can expect a cold and white Christmas.

6. Hosszú, mint a téli nap karácsony felé. [hɒsuː, mɪnt ʌ teːlɪ nʌp kʌrɑːtʃɒɲ fɛleː]

literal translation: Long as the winter days approaching Christmas.

meaning: If you know that something good is going to happen soon but still have to wait for it to happen, it is very difficult to wait patiently.

7. Kapós, mint télen a szalmakalap. [kʌpɔːʃ, mɪnt teːlɛn ʌ sʌlmʌkʌlʌp]

literal translation: In demand, like a straw hat in the winter. (The demand for something is similar to the demand for a straw hat in the winter.)

meaning: There is no need for something.

8. Tele van a hócipője. [tɛlɛ vʌn ʌ hɔːtsɪpøːjɛ]

literal translation: His or her snowboots are full.

meaning: He or she is fed up with something or someone.

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Source: Daily News Hungary