Busójárás Carnival in Hungary: 6 days, 150 programmes, 2000 costumes

Busójárás, Busó-walking or Busó Carnival is an old tradition at carnival time, held annually in the middle of February in Hungary. At this time of the year, people are on the streets, dancing and singing, many are dressed in frightening, monster-like masks and fur coats. Almost 150 programmes will be organised for the citizens of Mohács and visitors to the city at the Busójárás starting on 16 February. Almost two thousand masqueraders will be expected to chase winter away.

According to bama.hu, the agenda for the six-day event has been completed, with more than a hundred and forty programmes, most of them free of charge.

Busójárás in Mohács
Photo: facebook.com/busojarasmohacs

Year after year, interest in the Busójárás grows, attracting more and more people to the event. There is sure to be a souvenir to suit everyone, as the event will feature a large number of civilians selling their wares: 400 folk artists, craftsmen, artisans and restaurateurs will be licensed by the city. The organisers have also made several changes to prevent too many people attending a programme.

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Agenda of the Busójárás Carnival

16 February, Thursday

According to the official website of the Busójárás, the first event will be an opening ceremony on 16 February, where the new barn building will be inaugurated. Then, the opening event of the Busójárás Carnival will take place on the open-air stage in Széchenyi Square. This will feature performances by school and kindergarten groups. During the day, there will also be demonstrations of the Busójárás tools and folkdances, and a dance party to get the public involved.

17 February, Friday

The next day, the focus will be on the music, as several bands will take to the stages. Other folk dance groups and busó groups will also be performing on this day. In the Dorottya Kanizsai Museum, a temporary exhibition will be opened, focusing on the making of musical instruments and bagpipes. The South Slavic Dance at the Mohács market will be ticketed due to the high interest.

18 February, Saturday

On the 18th, most of the programmes will be gastro-oriented. In the morning, there will be a folk art and craft fair in downtown Mohács. Later on, there will be a cooking show, a mask-making demonstration, carnival games and float decorations.

Hungarian Tradition of Busójárás in Mohács
Photo: MTI/Kiss Dániel

19 February, Sunday

The next day, there will be a boat crossing of the Danube by the Busó Carnival people. You will also be able to see folk song and dance groups, concerts and more. Every year, the most popular event on this day is the bonfire lighting.

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20 February, Monday

There will be a wreath-laying ceremony and the traditional door-to-door visit on 20 February. At the Dorottya Kanizsai Museum, there will be a Carnival playhouse for the little ones for which there is a fee.

21 February, Tuesday

On the last day, 21 February, there will be a bonfire and a coffin burning. However, the programmes also include a dance festival and performances by folk dance groups.

Photo: facebook.com/pavkovicsgabor/

Source: bama.hu