Quirky Hungarian Carnival traditions and customs

If you have ever had the chance to visit Hungary in gloomy February and take part in the widely popular Hungarian Carnival festivities, you already know what a special vibe it has with lots of freaky people dancing in weird costumes as if there was no tomorrow. However, if you are new to these fascinating winter farewell activities, we will give a little glimpse of them as well as tell you some rare Hungarian Carnival traditions to get into the festive mood.

The core of festive merrymaking

In terms of folklore traditions and customs, the main activities of the Hungarian Carnival season take place on the following three days: Carnival Sunday, Carnival Monday and No Meat Tuesday, which are often referred to as Farsang farka (“tail of the Carnival”). During these closing days of the winter farewell activities, locals toss all inhibitions out of the window and pour don’t the streets for a never-ending parade. Women in the Balaton region, for example, even dress up in man clothes and act like chaps the entire day.

Even though Carnival has pagan roots, it is strongly tied to Christian religious holidays as it precedes the Lent phase of Easter. Feast Thursday, which comes after Ash Wednesday, has special importance in Hungary as people finally let go of all the restrictions and scoff down whatever food was left after the Carnival festivities.

Buso-walking of Mohács

The world-famous Hungarian Carnival tradition of the native South-Slavic Šokac population in Mohács attracts large flocks of tourists every year. Each February, this historic southern Hungarian town is taken over with mayhem, revelry and endless, but endless, celebration and culinary enjoyment. Men, called the busók, wearing handmade, carved and painted masks and heavy woolly cloaks arrive in row boats on the shores of the River Danube for a noisy march through the city. Needless to say, the 6-day parade also involves a great deal of dancing, folk music and alcohol.

According to folk hearsay, the origin of these weird yet wonderful festivities dates back to the times when the locals successfully fought back the Ottoman army that wanted to invade Mohács. The Buso-walking festival has become so popular over the years that it has even earned its place on the UNESCO list in 2009.

Hungarian Carnival lore

Hungarian folklore includes countless superstitions and traditional beliefs that are linked to the Hungarian Carnival season. The day of Balázs, on 3 February, marks an important date of the winter festivities. Locals believe whatever activities one engages in on this day will have significant implications for that person’s health and fortune throughout the coming months. Balázs walking is a common and still existing tradition, during which school teachers walk around the villages with their pupils singing good wishes to the residents and collecting donations for the school. These marches are meant to honour Bishop Balázs (Saint Blaise) who was known for bringing relief to people who frequently came down with tonsillitis. Up to this day, locals tend to bless roast apple peels and feed them to the ill in the hope of their quick recovery. Winegrowers also visit their vineyards on Balázs Day to prune a piece of vine grape at each of the four corners of their field in the bid to please their patron saint who will hopefully protect their grapes from bird attacks and bless them with a fruitful harvest.

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