Strange Hungarian habits

Every country is unique in its own way. In different places, different customs have developed over the centuries. As the Hungarian saying goes, “as many houses, so many customs.” Some customs are natural to Hungarians, but foreigners might find them weird.

Loud nose blowing

If asked, most foreigners would pick this as the strangest Hungarian habit, writes magyarorszagom.hu. Blowing your nose loudly in public is a bizarre and baffling Hungarian habit. There are many countries where it is not customary to use a handkerchief in public, especially not for blowing your nose loudly. In Hungary, however, there are no such restrictions. It is just that if you are in a company, turn away while sneezing or blowing your nose.

Name day, wrong order

In Hungarian, we write people’s surnames first, followed by their first names. For example, the Prime Minister of Hungary is Orbán Viktor, not Viktor Orbán in the Hungarian language. This is not the only interesting thing about Hungarian names. Apart from birthdays we also celebrate name days. Each date has one or more first names, when the person with that name celebrates their name day. Gift-giving is less common, but having a cake is a must on name days.

Read alsoStereotypes that characterise Hungarians

Toasting with beer

Hungarians never make a toast with beer. The origin of the custom is a protest against the executions in Arad in 1849. There is no written evidence that backs up this legend though. According to historians, it started when beer consumption appeared in Hungary. It is also possible that it was invented by wine merchants to make wine drinking look patriotic. Thus, wine became more popular than beer. Legend has it that the Austrians toasted victory with beer, hence the origin of the custom. It is said that the ban on toasting lasted for 150 years, which expired in 1999. However, many Hungarians still do not toast with beer, writes urbanlegend.hu.

Strange foods

Hungarian cuisine is special. This is not always a compliment in the eyes of foreigners. We have many dishes that are very unusual for foreigners. One such dish is a popular main course called főzelék, which is a thick vegetable stew. Fruit soup is equally rare. This sweet soup made from cold fruit is a favourite starter for Hungarians. For more strange Hungarian dishes, click HERE.

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Source: magyarorszagom.hu, urbanlegends.hu