Hungarian superstitions about love and Valentine’s Day

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The day of 14 February is today known worldwide as the “celebration of love”. In Hungary, the present form of Valentine’s Day, when couples give each other gifts or just exchange sweet messages, started to become popular around the 1990s. Although a lot of people may not know it, this ancient holiday, which has evolved into a Christian one, is associated with several old Hungarian traditions, beliefs and superstitions.

The Hungarian equivalent of Valentine is the name Bálint, whose name day falls on 14 February according to the calendar. Thus, Hungarians call this holiday either Bálint’s Day (Bálint-nap) or, following the Anglo-Saxon example, Valentine’s Day (Valentin-nap).

Saint Valentine (in Hungarian: Szent Bálint), was a victim of martyrdom during the Roman persecution of the Christians. According to the most famous legend associated with the patron saint of lovers, the emperor banned marriage for young men, claiming that single men made better soldiers. Saint Valentine, who believed that all people should have the right to marry and build families, continued to secretly perform marriage ceremonies for young couples. When the emperor found out, he had Valentine arrested and sentenced to death. Some versions of the story include elements such as Valentine healing the blind daughter of the jailer, or sending the first “valentine” card from prison to the young girl who had become his friend.

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Hungarian superstitions on Saint Valentine’s Day

Before Valentine’s Day became popular in its present form in Hungary, there were numerous interesting practices and beliefs surrounding the day. Most of them are, of course, related to love. But there are also certain folk beliefs about the weather and the harvest.

Folklore forecasting

According to Hungarian folklore forecasting, if the weather is cold and dry on Valentine’s Day, there will be a good harvest that year. However, if it rains on this day, farmers can only expect a poor harvest, except for maize. If the weather is windy, it means there will not be enough eggs for the year.

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Love superstitions

A loving kiss on the morning of Valentine’s Day brings good luck.
Girls who go to the cemetery at midnight before Valentine’s Day may see their future husbands because the ghosts will appear in their form.
If girls put a laurel leaf under their pillow on the night before Valentine’s Day, they can find out in their sleep who their future partner will be.
If an unmarried girl sees a sparrow on this day, she will marry a poor man, but her marriage will be happy. However, if a goldfinch flies over her, she will be married to a rich man.
If one has already found the love of their life, then to keep their love, on Valentine’s Day, they must eat an apple with nine seeds. Then, they need to slip the seeds into their partner’s pocket, so that their partner will be faithful for the rest of their life.
Apple seeds were also used to predict the birth of children. The number of children expected in marriage was equal to the number of seeds in the apple cut in half on Valentine’s Day.

Other superstitions related to love

There are also a number of superstitions about love that are not specific to Valentine’s Day. Since this day we celebrate love, we have garnered a few other common Hungarian superstitions related to this warm, fuzzy emotion.

A girl who lets herself be swept around will not get married.
Girls should not eat from a pot because men will not notice them.
If you take a piece of the mirror out into the open air during the new moon and look into it, slip it into the pocket of your chosen one. If they take it out of their pocket, they will see your face in it and will no longer be paying attention to anyone else.
If a girl sits at the corner of the table, she will not get married for seven years.