March 15 – National flag hoisted by Parliament

Budapest, March 15 (MTI) – The national flag was hoisted in front of Parliament on Tuesday morning, marking the start of state celebrations of the anniversary of Hungary’s anti-Habsburg revolution that started on March 15, 1848.

The ceremony was attended by President János Áder, Chief of Staff Tibor Benkő, representatives of state organisations, diplomats, and several hundred others.

Following the ceremony, participants marched to the National Museum where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is scheduled to deliver a speech.

Commemorations of the revolution are also being held by ethnic Hungarian communities around the world.

The revolution and freedom fight was part of a series of uprisings in Europe in 1848. On March 15, citizens of Pest gathered in front of the National Museum and demanded independence from Habsburg rule.

Hungary’s first independent government with Count Lajos Batthyány as prime minister approved a reform package called the April laws. Later, the uprising grew into a war of independence, stifled by Austria in late 1849.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters