PHOTOS: 20 August celebrations started, national flag hoisted

Some countries do not have a national day, while Hungary has three. On 15 March, we celebrate the birth of civic Hungary. On 23 October, we are proud of the 1956 revolution and freedom fight against Soviet rule. But the “main” national day of Hungary is 20 August, when we celebrate the birth of the Hungarian state.

We wrote in THIS article that the creation of the Christian medieval Hungarian state took a long time. It probably spanned decades or even a hundred years. However, we celebrate that process on one day, 20 August each year because that is when our first Christian monarch, King Stephen, was canonised as a saint of the Roman Catholic church. That was as important then as our NATO or EU accession.

Therefore, Hungary regularly celebrates 20 August with multiple concerts, programs and gigantic fireworks. The program started this morning with hoisting the national flag on Kossuth Square, the capital’s heart. Here are some photos from the official Facebook page of the Hungarian President:

Hungary’s new military officers taking their oath in front of the parliament. Photo: MTI

Photo: MTI

HERE we wrote about the hidden places from where you can watch the evening fireworks. In THIS article, you may read our programme guide.