Peace: the main Easter message of the Hungarian churches
“Those that are in peace with God, should make a sacrifice for peace with other people,” Cardinal Péter Erdő, the head of the Hungarian Catholic Church, told MTI on the occasion of Easter. “Preferring the powers of resurrection when you see the signs of death’s destruction requires a trust in God … but the joy of the resurrection should be sought even when our life most resembles Good Friday,” Zoltán Balog, the head of the synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church, said on Saturday.
Erdő advocates ‘peace with other people’
“Making peace requires sacrifices … but peace and harmony yield more benefits than what we give up through restricting our unbridled ambitions,” the cardinal said. Concerning the war in Ukraine, Erdő said Hungarians had “felt and understood what they had to do: help those in the greatest need and those fleeing their country as much as possible and as it suits them most”, MTI wrote.
Answering a question if the Vatican could help resolve the conflict, Erdő said the Holy See had played an important role in the settlement between Argentina and Chile in the 1970s. He also mentioned Pope Francis’s mediation which helped avoid a US attack on Syria over the latter country’s alleged resort to chemical weapons, in 2013. The Vatican “represents the opinion and wishes of many, which gives its actions so much strength that could bring the warring parties closer to each other,” he said.
On the subject of the pontiff’s upcoming visit to Hungary, Erdő do said its programme, including meeting the poor, refugees, the homeless, and sick children, reflects that Francis “is in community with those suffering and children with multiple sicknesses are especially close to his heart”. He said the pope’s visiting Hungary was “a sign of appreciation for the Hungarian people”. While Francis has already visited Slovakia and Romania, his upcoming visit “will show that he loves these peoples equally”, Erdő said.
Balog: ‘Trust the joy of resurrection’
“Preferring the powers of resurrection when you see the signs of death’s destruction requires a trust in God … but the joy of the resurrection should be sought even when our life most resembles Good Friday,” Zoltán Balog, the head of the synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church, said on Saturday. The bishop told MTI that “despite all appearances, life has the last word”. “Jesus was there on the cross alone so that nobody should ever be alone, that each person could feel the presence of Jesus, who will share his suffering,” he said.
Concerning wars, Balog said “the church now thinks differently than in earlier centuries”. The principle of the “just war” has “changed in the times of weapons of mass destruction — war can never be justified”, he said, adding that “the primary task for the church is not to bless the weapons but to provide spiritual aid to the soldiers forced into war and to the victims”. “We have learnt that we must turn to neighbouring nations with gestures of peace and the will to cooperate even if those intentions are not always reciprocated,” Balog said.
Lutheran leader: Christ’s wounds comfort Europe
The wounds carried by the resurrected Christ can provide comfort to a wounded Europe, Tamas Fabiny, the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary, said on Saturday on the occasion of Easter. Speaking to MTI, Fabiny said the wounds on the body of Jesus provided hope when looking at “the wounded Europe”, refugees, those wounded in the war, and “the wounds of Earth”. “We would think that the ascended Jesus no longer has wounds on his body, but the resurrected Jesus shows his hands, feet and side to Thomas, which still bear the marks of suffering,” Fabiny said.
God came to Earth two thousand years ago, but man is still in need of his help since, he added. The meeting between Jesus and Thomas in the Gospel of John highlights the “miracle of faith”, Fabiny said. Thomas doubts and says he will only believe if he could see and touch Jesus’ wounds, but when he gets the chance, he does not touch him but falls to his knees and says “My Lord and my God!”, Fabiny said. Like Thomas, people often believe only what they can touch and experience, but if Christ is truly there with them, the miracle of faith can happen, Fabiny said. Another aspect of hope provided by Easter, he said, was that “it is not we who go to Jesus, but he who comes to us.” People today have hope that Jesus will find them even if they close their door to him, he said.
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Hilarious Hungarian Easter rhymes translated into English
One of the weirdest but most fun (well, at least for the chaps) Hungarian Easter traditions is locsolkodás, which can be loosely translated as ‘sprinkling the womenfolk’. At this time of the year, the young lads of the village, armed with their grandmas’ stenchiest patchouli perfumes, or in the less fortunate case a bucket of ice-cold water, go from door to door to sprinkle the girls and their female relatives. Of course, there is some foreplay prior to the act, as usually, they say a little poem, a so-called sprinkling rhyme. In return, they receive traditionally painted eggs, candies, a couple of coins and often a shot of pálinka too. More often than not, they are pretty hammered by the time they reach the last house of the village. There are various types of sprinkling rhymes, from cute and funny to raunchy and politically incorrect. In this post, we thought to gather a couple of them with English translation so you can get a little sense of Hungarian humour and creativity. Enjoy!
- Zöld erdőben jártam,
Meggy pálinkát láttam.
Ha nem kapok belőle,
Nem locsolok jövőre.
I went to the green forest,
I saw a bottle of sour cherry pálinka.
If I don’t get a sip today,
I won’t sprinkle you next year.
2. Zöld erdőben jártam,
Fehér nyuszit láttam.
Egy nagyot kacsintott,
Add ide a forintot!
I went to the green forest,
There was a white bunny.
It gave me a wink.
Now, gimme the money!
3. Én verset nem tudok,
Azt mondják a kicsik.
Én csak azért jöttem,
Hogy igyak egy kicsit.
I don’t know any rhymes,
That’s the children’s dues.
I only popped by
To get some free booze.
4. Húsvét van odakinnt,
Mosolyog az ég is.
Adjanak egy ezrest,
Mosolygok majd én is.
It’s Easter Day,
The sky is beaming.
Gimme some cash,
That’s all I’m meaning.
5. Pisti vagyok, szép es laza.
Locsoljak, vagy menjek haza?
Handsome and cool, it’s me, Steve.
Should I sprinkle or should I leave?
6. Nyulam-bulam kedves, hallod a kérésem?
Ez a húsvét már békésen teljen.
Ne vigye el sonkánk a gazdasagi válság,
Ez most itten tőlem a húsvéti kívánság.
My sweet bunny, hear me out,
Let bacon be our festive dish,
Spare us from crisis and doubt,
That’s my only Easter wish.
7. Van nálam egy kis pacsuli,
Leloccsintom magát.
Ha egy kicsi mázlija van,
Szereti a szagát.
Patchouli perfume is all I’ve got,
I’ll sprinkle a tad bit.
With a little luck,
You might even like it.
8. Zöld a moha,
Zöld a páfrány.
Meglocsollak,
Házisárkány!
Both the fern and the moss are green,
That’s all I could say as a pitch.
But God forbid you think I’m mean
So I’ll sprinkle you, you grumpy bitch.
9. Afrikában jártam,
Pálmafára másztam,
Kiszakadt a nadrágom,
Kiesett a tojásom,
Elindultam keresni,
Szabad-e most öntözni?
I climbed a palm tree in Africa,
But my pants ripped at my crotch,
Let me grab my perfume bottle,
I’ll sprinkle you to leave a splotch.
10. Odakint az utcán azt mondják a nagyok,
hogy ebben a házban hervadnak a csajok.
Én is, mint az apám, szeretem a nőket,
s jöttem hát azonnal meglocsolni őket!
I’ve heard from people on the street,
The girls are withering in this house.
I call my mates and for some treat,
We stop by to sprinkle their blouse.
Read more: How do Hungarians living in the States celebrate Easter?
Important: Public transport changes in Budapest during the long weekend
Budapest traffic will change over the Easter long weekend. Here’s what you need to know if you plan to travel by public transport over the next few days.
Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) services will operate on Saturday, public holiday and school holiday schedules during the Easter holidays. The exception will be the M3 metro line, which will operate on a regular schedule on all four days of the long weekend, napi.hu reports.
Timetables for public transport services
Services will run according to the following timetables over the Easter long weekend:
- on Thursday 6 April, the Friday working day during the school holidays will apply;
- on Friday 7 April, the timetable for public holidays and bank holidays (ünnepnapok és munkaszüneti napok) will apply;
- on Saturday 8 April, the Saturday timetable will apply;
- on 9 and 10 April, Sunday and Monday, the timetable for public holidays and bank holidays (ünnepnapok és munkaszüneti napok) will apply;
- on Tuesday 11 April, the timetable will be the same as on school holidays.
Timetable of the M3 metro
During the Easter long weekend, between 7 and 10 April, the M3 metro will run all day as usual on the entire line between Kőbánya-Kispest and Újpest-központ.
It is important to note that the metro will not stop at Lehel Square and Nagyvárad Square. These locations can be reached by the M14 (Nyugati Railway Station – Lehel Square) and M30 (Népliget – Nagyvárad Square) by replacement bus or other services.
On the website of BKK, it was pointed out that in order to plan your trip during the long weekend, it is worth using the BudapestGO application. The app calculates the optimal route to reach your destination based on real-time service information. What is more, you can also buy tickets and passes using the application.
Read also:
Weather forecast for Easter in Hungary: prepare for this if you have plans!
Temperatures will drop early next week. Nighttime frosts will return and daytime highs of no more than 10 degrees Celsius can be expected. On Good Friday, Good Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, we can expect partly cloudy weather in Hungary.
Thursday, 6 April
According to the forecast of the National Meteorological Service (OMSZ), Thursday will be mainly cloudy or overcast. Precipitation in the form of rain, sleet and snow may occur in several places. Winds from the north and northwest will be strong in many places. Minus 3 to plus 3 degrees Celsius at dawn, 3 to 10 degrees in the afternoon can be expected.
Good Friday, 7 April
The weather will warm up a bit for Easter. However, it will still be colder than normal for Easter, hovege.hu reports.
On Good Friday, it will be generally cloudy or overcast. Several places may have a higher chance of rain. Winds from the north and northwest may become stronger in some places. Temperatures could rise from minus 2 to plus 4 degrees Celsius in the morning to between 6 and 12 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.
Good Saturday, 8 April
On Saturday, clouds may break up and decrease from the southeast and east, with less precipitation expected. Winds from the north and northeast will increase in places. Temperatures may rise from minus 2 to plus 5 degrees Celsius in the morning to between 7 and 14 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.
Easter Sunday, 9 April
Easter Sunday will be cloudy with scattered showers. Winds from the north, northeast may increase in several places, with some strong gusts. It will cool down to between 0 and plus 7 degrees Celsius by dawn, and warm up to between 8 and 15 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.
Easter Monday, 10 April
Variable cloudiness will persist on Easter Monday, with scattered precipitation in the north-east and north-west of the country. Highs could reach 15 degrees, with lows of around 5-6 degrees.
Want to spend Easter at Lake Balaton?
If you are planning to spend Easter at Lake Balaton, LikeBalaton writes you should prepare for the following weather:
On Good Friday, daytime highs will be 10 degrees Celsius, with temperatures dropping to 2 degrees Celsius at dawn. Rain and showers, cloudy weather is expected.
Saturday will be a little warmer with a high of 11 degrees during the day. However, the sun will be sparse and showers and thunderstorms are expected again.
On Easter Sunday, the air will continue to warm up, with temperatures of 5 degrees in the morning and up to 13 degrees during the day. The sun will become more and more visible, but don’t forget your umbrella on this day, as showers are still expected.
Temperatures on Easter Monday will be similar to the previous day, with temperatures of up to 15 degrees during the day and no rain forecast. Feel free to plan outdoor activities, but be prepared to dress in layers, as sunny spells may be replaced by cloudy periods, LikeBalaton concludes.
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Here is how shops will be open over the Easter long weekend in Hungary
This year, Good Friday is on 7 April, followed by Easter Sunday on 9 April and Easter Monday on 10 April. These three days are public holidays. We will let you know the opening hours of shops in Hungary over the long weekend.
Opening hours during the long weekend
On Thursday, 6 April, shops will open according to their general timetable, 24.hu reports. However, Shops, malls, shopping centres, hypermarkets, supermarkets, chain stores, and other shops, will not be open on Friday, 7 April.
If you haven’t bought everything you need for Easter by Thursday, you can make up for lost time on 8 April. On Saturday, shops will be open again, according to their normal Saturday opening hours.
Then on Sunday, 9 April and Monday, 10 April, everything is closed again.
On Tuesday, 11 April, the normal shopping and administrative routine will resume, and shops and service providers will open their doors again. Post offices will also be open. They will be closed on Friday, Sunday and Monday. On Saturday though, all post offices will be open according to the normal Saturday working hours.
Where can I shop on these three days?
But there may be exceptions to the Easter opening hours. As Hóvége reports, according to the law, there are some shops that can be open during the Easter holidays. So, it is possible to shop on these days at following places:
- in petrol stations and shops,
- independent flower shops,
- newsagents,
- candy shops,
- non-stop, 0-24 shops,
- tobacconists (if the owner or a family member works there),
- as well as in catering and entertainment establishments.
Important information on pharmacies
It is important to note that on public holidays (i.e. Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday), you can only go to pharmacies that are open 0-24, i.e. on public holidays, and those that are on call and on standby. On Saturday, pharmacies that are open on rest days will also be open. However, they may not work their usual Saturday/rest day hours, but only until noon. After closing time, they may be available on-call or stand-by.
Information on pharmacies that provide on-call or stand-by services can be found on the OGYÉI website.
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Easter will be extremely expensive in Budapest’s top baths
Three of Budapest’s major historic baths will charge more for Easter admission than the already higher weekend prices. The Széchenyi, Gellért and Rudas baths will have higher entrance fees than many would like.
In some cases, all weekends are considered a priority, as well as public holidays and school holidays. But this year, the three historic baths in Budapest are charging even higher prices than on weekends at Easter, Travelo reports.
In Gellért and Széchenyi, a day ticket with locker use will cost HUF 11,900 (EUR 31.50) during Easter. This is HUF 1,000 (EUR 2.65) more than on weekends and HUF 2,000 (EUR 5.29) more than on weekdays. At Rudas, a day ticket for all zones will cost HUF 13,200 (EUR 34.94). This is HUF 1000 (EUR 2.65) more expensive than a normal weekend ticket and HUF 4600 (EUR 12.18) more expensive than a weekday ticket.
During the Easter long weekend, the usual weekend ticket prices will be valid at the Csillaghegy, Dandár, Lukács, Palatinus, Paskál and Pesterzsébet spas managed by Budapest Spa and Thermal Baths Ltd., Termál Online reports.
Spas in other parts of the country with special ticket prices typically adjust their ticket prices to coincide with the spring school break. That means that higher ticket prices will be in effect between 6 and 11 April.
Read also:
How do Hungarians living in the States celebrate Easter?
Easter is celebrated worldwide, every nation has its own traditions and customs. But what about those who moved abroad? In our article, you can read about the ways Hungarians celebrate Easter in the States.
777.hu has asked Hungarian families living in the States to tell the readers how they celebrate Easter on the east coast of the USA.
Easter egg hunt and Easter parade
In the city parks, a so-called easter egg hunt takes place. As part of the fun game, you can search for thousands of chocolate eggs. Usually, parents with small children participate in this Easter activity. In New York, on Easter Sunday, the “Easter Parade” is held, which is actually a parade of women’s hats on Fifth Avenue. In 1948, the movie Easter parade was made with Fred Aster, Judy Garland, Ann Miller and Peter Lawford in the main roles, which is shown over and over again every Easter on US TV channels. To the joy of the little ones, shops are packed with chocolate bunnies, eggs and chicks, already weeks before the holidays. Good Friday and Easter Monday are working days, but many people do not work on the former, especially members of the Spanish community, but other Catholics also take a day off.
Many Catholic Hungarian families are fasting
The family of 20-year-old Krisztina Fodor, originally from Transylvania but living in New York City, refrains from eating meat during the entire fast and prepares fish instead. According to a father of three: “Easter is very important to us, also because of folk tradition, but mainly because of religion. We try to raise our children the way our parents raised us. It is one of the most important days in the Catholic calendar, and everyone here knows why, and we give thanks for it.”
For the older generation, spiritual preparation before Easter cannot be forgotten. Uncle Laci Németh-Hajdú, who moved from Hungary to New Brunswick when he was a child, and his wife Irén, for example, regularly watch the Hungarian Great Lent programme on katolikus.hu.
The Holy Week ceremonies are the same in all Hungarian churches in the States
Hungarians living in the US can celebrate Easter the same way as they would in Hungary, the ceremonies are virtually identical. There is a procession on Palm Sunday and a celebration of the Blessed Sacrament on Maundy Thursday. Overseas, religious people also celebrate the Way of the Cross on Good Friday, and attend a Mass of the Resurrection on Holy Saturday, with the consecration of water and fire, readings and processions. Finally, there is a mass on Easter Sunday with food consecration.
However, there are some minor differences in the churches. In New Brunswick, the Passion is sung, but in New York, it is no longer presented at all. On Maundy Thursday in Passaic, the priest used to wash the feet of 12 people, but this custom has discontinued about 40-50 years ago.
The beginning of the week will be cold in Hungary, but it will ease by Easter
The temperature will drop significantly and cold weather is expected throughout the week. However, the weather will get milder by Easter, so we will be able to enjoy the holidays outdoors well.
It might even snow on Tuesday
Thick, closed clouds stretch over the southeastern and eastern half of the country, while sunny, cumulus clouds are more likely to rule the western and northwestern regions. In the eastern part of Hungary, rain, and even snow are expected. In addition to the rain, the strong northerly wind will make the cold weather rather unpleasant. The Western Transdanubia and the Zemplén region will be particularly windy. By dawn, the air cools down to around freezing point, but it can be several degrees colder in the wind-sheltered, frosty northern valleys. In the afternoon, the temperature rises between 3 and 9 °C.
The weather will be cold all week
On Wednesday, there is a higher chance of cloudy skies in the eastern half of the country, writes budapestkornyekehu. There is a chance of rain, sleet, and snow in the eastern parts. Unfortunately, the windy weather will continue in the second half of the week. Moreover, minus 3 °C and plus 2 °C are likely in the morning and 3-9 °C in the afternoon. On Thursday, we can say goodbye to the sun, and it will be minus 3 °C at night. The sky will be mostly cloudy or overcast on this day. There may even be precipitation in several places, which can occur in the form of rain, sleet or snow. The north, northwest wind is accompanied by strong, sometimes stormy gusts in many places. Minus 3 °C and 3 °C are expected in the morning, and 3-10 °C are likely in the afternoon.
What weather to expect on Easter?
On Good Friday, the weather will be mostly cloudy. There is a higher chance of rain in several places. The north and north-westerly wind may revive and strengthen in some places. From minus 2 °C in the morning and plus 4 °C in the afternoon, the temperature can rise to between 6 and 12 °C.
The temperature will drop significantly and cold weather is expected throughout the week. However, the weather will get milder by Easter, so we will be able to enjoy the holidays outdoors well.
It might even snow on Tuesday
Thick, closed clouds stretch over the southeastern and eastern half of the country, while sunny, cumulus clouds are more likely to rule the western and northwestern regions. In the eastern part of Hungary, rain, and even snow are expected. In addition to the rain, the strong northerly wind will make the cold weather rather unpleasant. The Western Transdanubia and the Zemplén region will be particularly windy. By dawn, the air cools down to around freezing point, but it can be several degrees colder in the wind-sheltered, frosty northern valleys. In the afternoon, the temperature rises between 3 and 9 °C.
The weather will be cold all week
On Wednesday, there is a higher chance of cloudy skies in the eastern half of the country, writes budapestkornyekehu. There is a chance of rain, sleet, and snow in the eastern parts. Unfortunately, the windy weather will continue in the second half of the week. Moreover, minus 3 °C and plus 2 °C are likely in the morning and 3-9 °C in the afternoon. On Thursday, we can say goodbye to the sun, and it will be minus 3 degrees at night. The sky will be mostly cloudy or overcast on this day. There may even be precipitation in several places, which can occur in the form of rain, sleet or snow. The north, northwest wind is accompanied by strong, sometimes stormy gusts in many places. Minus 3 °C and 3 °C are expected in the morning, and 3-10 °C are likely in the afternoon.
What weather to expect on Easter?
On Good Friday, the weather will be mostly cloudy. There is a higher chance of rain in several places. The north and north-westerly wind may revive and strengthen in some places. From minus 2 °C in the morning and plus 4 °C in the afternoon, the temperature can rise to between 6 and 12 °C. By the weekend, the weather will ease a little. On Holy Saturday, clouds may accumulate, and at the same time, precipitation should be expected in fewer places. The air might warm up to between 7 °C and 14 °C in the afternoon.
On Easter Sunday, there is a prospect of variable cloudy weather. Showers may occur scattered, and the north and northeast wind may pick up in several places. The night temperature then gradually rises and warms up from 7-8 °C in the morning to 18-19 °C next week. By the weekend, we are expecting almost 20 °C, but still rainy weather in some places. By the weekend, the weather will ease a little. On Holy Saturday, the cloudiness may decrease, and at the same time, precipitation should be expected in fewer places. The air might warm up to between 7 and 14 °C in the afternoon.
On Easter Sunday, there is a prospect of variable cloudy weather. Showers may occur scattered, and the north and northeast wind may pick up in several places. The night temperature then gradually rises and warms up from 7-8 °C in the morning to 18-19 °C next week. By the weekend, we are expecting almost 20 °C, but rain can still occur in some regions.
Brutal Easter promotions in these Hungarian shops: don’t miss them!
In addition to promotions, retail chains in Hungary are trying to compete with each other with other special measures. Some are raising the limit on price-capped products, while others have stocked up on some of the holiday’s bestsellers. Don’t miss these promotions and chances to save money!
Pénzcentrum has taken a look at the best bargains in Hungarian shops right now. With the brutal price rises, it definitely makes a difference where you shop for the holidays.
ALDI
On 29 March, ALDI announced that it has slashed prices on holiday-related products ahead of the Easter period. The price reduction could be as much as 60 percent! The products include bakery products, ham, horseradish, pork shoulder, beer and Hungarian wine.
SPAR
In addition to its weekly updated list of permanently discounted products, Spar also gives special attention to the Easter period. In these days, sales can be up to 30-40 percent higher than on other days. As Márk Maczelka, head of communications, explained, they are offering increased stock levels on holiday-related products, highlighting their private label offer.
TESCO
TESCO’s idea was that in addition to the promotions, they will increase the purchase limit on price-capped products during the Easter period. As for eggs, they even abolished the limit altogether. So, until 8 April, the maximum amount you can buy in one purchase will be 4 litres for sunflower cooking oil in litre packs, 10 kilos for wheat flour, 4 kilos for chicken breast and chicken tail, 6 kilos for pork legs and 12 kilos for potatoes.
LIDL
LIDL announced another big price cut on some products this week. The price reduction could be as much as 29 percent, but on average the products concerned will cost around 10 percent less.
Make sure to look for special offers and promotions
It’s worth checking the special offers magazines before you go shopping for Easter. Earlier, the National Association of the Meat Industry warned Hungarian shoppers well in advance that there could be a 30-40 percent increase in the price of ham compared to a year ago. We wrote about it in detail here. Egg prices have risen even more. Despite the price freeze, they are now almost double the price of last year: in many places, one egg costs as much as HUF 100 (EUR 0.26).
There is no shortage of Hungarians’ favourite Easter dish, but the price is brutal
Hungarians’ favourite Easter dish, ham, will be in abundance in the shops. But the price will be extremely high, as the meat sector is struggling.
Easter ham
If it’s Easter in Hungary, it’s ham on the table. Real wages have been dropping in Hungary for four months now, so the purchasing value of wages is falling. With lower wages come higher food prices. Hungary has the highest overall inflation in Europe. According to the Central Statistical Office, general food inflation in Hungary has been above 40 percent in each of the last five months.
“There will be ham on the shelves, and our member companies are looking forward to the festive season,” Martina Mostisch, executive secretary of the Hungarian Meat Producers’ Association, told Index. On average, different ham products could cost 35-40 percent more this year than last year. “It’s ‘only’ 40 percent because traders are calculating a smaller margin to avoid even more deterrent prices. If the entire increase in purchase prices were passed on to consumers, we could see a 50-60 percent increase in the price of meat products at Easter in shops,” said Katalin Neubauer, secretary general of the Hungarian National Trade Association.
Read alsoBrutal increase: holiday prices at Lake Balaton rivalling seaside destinations
Domestic meat
Hungarian retail outlets prefer products from domestic suppliers. However, international retail chains may use imported ham. Last Easter, 3.1 million households bought a total of 7,539 tonnes of ham and smoked meat.
Experience in recent years has shown that Hungarians prefer better quality. Mortisch says this could change now and that consumers would opt for cheaper products of lower quality because of rising prices.
A difficult situation for the pig sector
“Pork and pork products have taken a smaller slice of the food inflation pie compared to other food products,” said Tamás Éder. The Hungarian cereals market has seen a drastic price increase, for example.
In Europe, there was an oversupply of pork, so prices did not rise at that time, but at the beginning of 2022, the oversupply was reduced and pork prices started to jump as a result. Not only cereals but also energy prices and rising labour costs had a negative impact on the industry.
Buckle up: 30-50 percent price rise expected in Hungarians’ favourite Easter dish
The purchase price of Easter ham can increase significantly in Hungary, by up to 30-50 percent. This was announced at the press conference of Kifli.hu. It was also pointed out that prices are expected to rise with the abolition of the price cap, but will also consolidate in the short term.
Kifli.hu, which was launched three years ago, has been growing steadily, napi.hu reports. In January they achieved a turnover of HUF 3.6 billion, and their share of the total Hungarian market reached 0.6 percent, said Gabriel Makki, CEO of Kifli.hu.
Easter is approaching, and Rita Szalma, commercial director of Kifli.hu, said that the purchase price of ham could increase by 30-50 percent compared to 2022. She noted that chocolate figures have not seen such a significant increase in price.
The press event also revealed that although the popularity of plant-based products is growing, domestic consumers still order a lot of meat. The annual meat consumption in Hungary is above 80 percent, which is in line with the European average, Index reports.
Read alsoOfficial: Hungarian inflation over the peak, slowing down
Why am I a proud Hungarian? The honest confession of an Argentinian Hungarian
Reformatus.hu interviewed Mária Benedek-Micsinay, a woman born in Hungary and raised in Argentina.
The site interviewed Argentina-born Mária Benedek-Micsinay. She is the general administrator of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Argentina and the founder of the Language Polishing Course (Nyelvcsiszoló Tanfolyam). She has taught all eight of her grandchildren her mother tongue, Hungarian.
How did she get to Argentina?
She left Hungary with her family in April 1945, and they went to Germany. They lived on a barge near Passau. Her father was taken to a collection camp to be handed over to the Russians, but he managed to escape. The family then fled to Austria. They were eventually resettled in Argentina with the help of the IRO (International Refugee Organisation), and their ship docked in Buenos Aires on 28 February 1949.
Being Hungarian in a foreign environment
Maria said that people in Argentina were nice, her family never felt discriminated against, and they learned Spanish very quickly. They always spoke Hungarian at home, and her mother taught her and her sister Hungarian grammar, geography, history, and literature. Mária still feels Hungarian today, as she was born in Hungary, her parents raised her in a Hungarian atmosphere, and she has lived almost her entire life in a Hungarian environment.
Her paternal grandfather’s family was of Transylvanian origin, from Kisbacon, and the other side of the family was related to Elek Benedek, the famous Hungarian writer.
In the family’s living room, the pillowcases have Hungarian patterns on them, and the walls are decorated with Hungarian landscapes: Budapest, Hollókő, and several Alföld (Great Hungarian Plain) villages.
Scouts
Being a scout also plays a very important role in Mária’s life. She was initiated as a scout at a scout camp her father organised in 1959. A year later, in 1960, she married a young scout officer, László Benedek. They had two children, László and Zsuzsi. Unfortunately, László died young.
Mária and László have eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Mária has led Scout Leader training camps in Argentina and Brazil, and Scout Auxiliary Officer training camps in the United States.
The first return home
“I went to Hungary with my husband for the first time, it was a traumatic experience for both of us. My maternal grandmother, my father and my mother’s brothers and sisters, whom I only knew through letters, were still alive,”
she said.
“And my husband had an aunt and uncle, first cousins, with whom he played until 1945. Suddenly, everything was there in front of me in reality, not on a postcard or in a book:
The Parliament, the Buda Castle, Matthias Church, the National Museum, Győr, Székesfehérvár, Esztergom, Lébény, Ják, Zsámbék, Pannonhalma, Lake Balaton, the Danube, the meandering Tisza…
And all the signs were Hungarian, and everyone spoke only Hungarian. It was like a dream.”
Easter with the Argentine Calvinists
According to Mária, the Hungarians in Argentina celebrate Easter in a traditional way: by painting eggs, sprinkling girls, and saying Hungarian Easter poems. She says that when she was little, a refugee in Germany, she was very much looking forward to what the Easter bunny would bring. The most exciting part was when they got a real, live bunny for the holiday.
Read alsoWhy do Hungarians celebrate their name days?
Incredible Easter story: a Hungarian burglar shat himself after being shouted at!
On Easter Monday, a middle-aged man was about to commit burglary in Győrszentiván when he was caught. He got so scared that he soiled his pants. Not long after, he asked his mother to bring him clean underwear.
A strange incident
RTL Híradó reported an incident on Thursday evening that you do not hear about every day. According to RTL Híradó, on Easter Monday, a middle-aged man tried to get into an empty house in Győrszentiván, but a woman from the neighbourhood noticed him. She began shouting at him, because of which the burglar got so scared that he shat his pants.
As we can read in 24.hu’s article, this is how the woman recalled the incident:
“The young man knelt at the front door, then I energetically asked him what he was doing there, and he literally shat himself out of fear, running screaming out of the building.”
Hid behind a row of bushes
He was found and arrested behind a row of bushes by Győrszentiván police community support officers. They allowed him to call someone who could bring him clean underwear. The man called his mother, who soon brought him clothes. According to RTL Híradó, the man was not attacked by the fighter dog in the garden, so presumably, he had already been there before.
The officer asked the middle-aged man if he owned the property he was on. Since the answer was no, the officer asked the burglar to walk slowly towards him, otherwise, he would start walking toward the burglar himself.
The woman who scared off the burglar said that the man was about to open the front door when she saw him. Screaming, he started running from the garden towards a row of bushes while he shat himself.
Break-ins
Another officer told RTL Híradó that it was possible the man was surveying the area. Long periods of observation precede such break-ins. We may see the person taking a selfie when they are actually taking photos of the houses. He may be asking for directions, but in reality, he is gathering information about the place and the people in the area.
The man told the police he was just “going about his business” in the bushes, but he was charged with attempted theft.
“We felt sorry for the poor man in this situation,”
said the female neighbour.
Read alsoFormer handyman arrested as suspect in the case of the Hungarian woman murdered in New York
Easter Monday: the tradition of sprinkling among Hungarians – Photos, VIDEO
The preservation of tradition only makes every nation stronger, and this is also true of Hungary. This is especially true when it comes to carrying on a folk tradition so spectacular that our young people are admired all over the world. And as long as our traditions are alive, the Hungarian nation is alive, both at Hungary and abroad.
Interestingly, the Easter Monday celebration has no particular significance in the Christian church. The most popular folk custom associated with this day is watering:
In the old days, girls were taken to a well or trough in the countryside and doused with buckets, which had fertility charms and also referred to the purifying properties of water.
This tradition is still kept to this day by Hungarians, and men who nowadays prefer to throw cologne or soda water bottles are given red or creamed eggs by the girls for watering, but they also receive a hearty treat for visiting friends, relatives, and neighbours.
In many countries, Easter egg decorating has become an established tradition, and Hungary is at the forefront of this too.
Nyíregyháza:
Szeklerland:
Győr, Ménfőcsanak:
If you can’t imagine it, here is a video:
Hungarian protestant leaders celebrate Easter
The leaders of the Hungarian Reformed and Evangelical Lutheran Churches celebrated Easter on Sunday with worship services highlighting the importance of spreading the news of Christ’s resurrection.
Reformed Church in Hungary
Zoltán Balog, the bishop of the Reformed Church in Hungary, said the story of Easter Morning brought fear and joy together, noting that the women who found the empty tomb of Jesus had felt fear because they knew that what was happening was out of their control. “Because man does not like it when he is not in control of his life and if he does not understand what is happening around him,” Balog added.
“What happens is out of our control, but it happens for us, to us and can happen within us,” Balog said.
On Easter morning man can experience the essence of the fear of God, “the feeling of how small yet how valuable we are”, the bishop said. The joy man feels from the recognition of his insignificance and importance compels him to share his experience of joy with others.
Balog called on members of the congregation to spread the Gospel to as many people as possible because “the more people you share it with the greater the chance that it will reach those who you do not yet love”.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary
Tamás Fabiny, the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary, called on believers to spread the message of Christ’s resurrection instead of closing themselves off from the world.
Fabiny asked why it was that Jesus’s suffering had shaken so many people, yet after his resurrection, his disciples had gone home “into self-imposed quarantine”.
“They closed themselves off in fear because of the spread of a virus in the land called fear, a virus called worry, a virus called distrust,” Fabiny said.
“Aren’t we often still like this?” he said. “We are still shaken by Good Friday . but it is like we don’t know what to do with Easter.”
“On our way over here we’re still checking our watches, we want to get good seats . but on the way back we no longer have that jubilance about us or that devotion that Jesus would expect of us,” Fabiny said.
He said believers could spread the news of Jesus’s resurrection to others “because they await this good news”.
Fabiny urged believers to be “energetic Peters and Johns instead of tired and stunned apostles”. “But the real destination is not the Empty Tomb, but rather . the empty hearts of people so that we can fill the void with the living, resurrected Jesus,” he said.
- read also: Get to know some Hungarian Easter traditions
Get to know some Hungarian Easter traditions
Easter is the most important Christian holiday. During this religious holiday, people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of course, many Hungarian customs and traditions are also connected to this. Painted eggs, sprinkling, and all kinds of delicious food are all part of a traditional Hungarian Easter.
Church customs
There are many church customs associated with Easter. On Good Friday, you can see the passion play in churches, showing the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Holy Saturday is the day of the consecration of fire and water. Churches are filled with people all over Hungary on Easter Sunday and Monday. There is a procession after the service.
The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday.
Hungarians remember this with catkins. Easter also ends the 40-day fasting period.
Egg painting
The egg is an ancient symbol of fertility. It became a symbol of rebirth and resurrection in Christianity. It is a popular tradition to decorate eggs in different ways as part of the Easter preparations. In the past, people painted the eggs with different natural dyes. Today, a number of artificial colouring aids help egg painters. Some regions in Hungary had different decoration techniques, writes magyarorszagom.hu.
You can decorate eggs with the help of wax, chisel or even onion peel.
Sprinkling
According to tradition, boys visit the houses where girls live. During the visit, they sprinkle women with water and cologne, accompanied by poems. The basis of the habit is the cleansing and renewing power of water, writes edenkert.hu. In the countryside, people still use well-water, but in cities, cologne is more popular.
In exchange for sprinkling, the boys get red eggs and chocolate from the girls.
Sometimes the sprinkler gets money or food as well. However, sprinkling is becoming an increasingly unpopular tradition.
Easter food in Hungary
The main protagonist of the Hungarian Easter meal is the Easter ham. Pork thigh is a popular dish in Hungary, whether salted or smoked. It is usually accompanied by radish, eggs, spring onions, and horseradish.
The braided yeast bread is a must for Easter.
Try the unique tastes of Hungarian Easter. You can also find vegan and non-vegan recipes on our site.
Here is how to make traditional Hungarian painted eggs for Easter – PHOTOS
Dyeing and painting eggs are important parts of the traditional Hungarian Easter celebrations. There are several types of egg decorations. In this article, we present three techniques: batik, ‘egg writing’, and scratching.
Batik (batikolás, berzselés)
One of the easiest ways to dye eggs, batik, can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Below, you can find the five most important steps of batiking eggs, according to szhelyi.blogin.hu.
- Hard boil as many eggs as you want to paint.
- Gather lots of onion skins. Pour water over the onion skins to cover and bring the whole mixture to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Look around the garden (or anywhere else) for parsley leaves, clovers or any small green leaves with a pretty shape that you would like to see on your painted eggs.
- Get a pair of old, worn-out stockings that you no longer want to wear. Cut them into 15 cm pieces. Dampen the leaves, place them on top of the already dry, cooked egg, and wrap the whole thing tightly in the stocking.
- Then carefully place the eggs in the onion-peeled boiling water and leave them to rest until you get the colour you like. Once taken out of the water, you can carefully peel off the stocking.
- Rub it with bacon fat or oil to give it a nice shine.
- Read also: This iconic restaurant in Budapest brings not only food but also poetry to your table – PHOTOS
’Egg writing’ (írókázás)
Another, a bit more difficult but equally beautiful technique to paint eggs for Easter is ‘egg writing’ (írókázás). This how-to recipe is by tarkafirka.blog.hu.
- You will need an egg-writing tool (known as kesice, íróka), which you can easily make yourself or buy for a few hundred forints in hobby or craft shops.
- Next up, you will need beeswax. The best way to do ‘egg writing’ is to use beeswax, which you can buy from beekeepers (or from the market honey seller), candlemakers or on the internet.
- The egg to be decorated is blown out (both the white and the yolk), cleaned, and degreased.
- Put a pot of water on the stove and put a metal bowl in it. Melt the wax in the bowl, keeping the water boiling underneath while you work (water needs to be refilled from time to time) so that the wax is always in a molten, easily flowing state.
- Hold the handle of the writing tool like a pencil, dip the beak into the fully melted, hot beeswax, and draw the lines, holding it perpendicular to the egg surface. Draw the vertical first, then the horizontal dividing circles and the auxiliary lines, followed by the motifs. You can draw any pattern you like on the egg.
- When it is done, let it dry.
- Try to carefully cut and scrape off the wax layer with a sharp knife. Melt the residue by turning it over a flame (such as a burning candle), and then soak it up with a paper towel. When melting the wax, do not hold the egg too close to the flame, as it will burn.
Scratching (karcolás)
One of the easiest ways to paint Easter eggs is by scratching. First, you have to paint the eggs. The preparation steps were provided by agroinform.hu.
MTI/Veres Nándor
- Paint the eggs with onion skins in the way it was described above, except that this time, do not put leaves on them and do not put them in stockings.
- After they are done, let them cool.
- Use a sharp knife to carve patterns that you like on the already painted eggs.
- That is it, well done!
We hope you could find at least one technique that you can try this Easter. Have fun, and Happy Holidays!
Read alsoFunny dos and don’ts for Easter time in Hungary!
Hungarian church leaders call for peace in Easter message
Jesus “sacrificing his own life restores peace between the world and its Creator and makes peace an obligation for man”, Cardinal Péter Erdő, the head of the Hungarian Catholic Church, told MTI on Saturday, celebrating Easter.
The Cardinal said Jesus had greeted his disciples with shalom, the ancient Hebrew greeting, and said “again and again we are obliged to meet the challenge in Christ’s salutation”. “We must overcome ourselves, reining in our own passions and wishes,” he added.
Erdő highlighted the work of the Catholic Charity helping Ukrainian refugees in Hungary and called special attention to children among them. He said it was important that their schooling should not be interrupted “or else their chances in life could irreversibly diminish”.
Some 200 teachers in Catholic schools have volunteered to teach Ukrainian children, and several schools in and outside Budapest have now started the classes for children speaking Ukrainian or Russian only,
the cardinal said.
Erdő noted Pope Francis’s recent calls for peace and said “we believe in the strength of prayer… we allow the people we pray for into our hearts.”
The Catholic Church is in an “ecumenical relationship” with both the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox churches; it “has been and will be ready to promote dialogue,” the cardinal said.
Bishop Zoltán Balog, head of the synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church, told MTI that “the suffering we endure or witness will not alienate us from God but bring us closer to Him”.
“Celebrating Easter in the shadow of war provides an opportunity to think about suffering in the light of resurrection,”
he said.
Balog said he was “grateful and proud” to see that “Hungarians are helping on both sides of the Hungary-Ukraine border”, adding that the Reformed Charity had mobilised 5,000 volunteers, with church members opening up their homes and accommodating over 6,500 refugees.
The Reformed Church has also raised “the highest amount in 33 years” in donations to help refugees from Ukraine.
“Christians must not approve of war… blessed are those that build peace while those waging wars are evil,”
Balog said. He said “no alleged or real grievance could legitimise Russia’s aggression” but called for prayers for Russians “because they, too, are suffering a lot”.
Bishop Tamás Fabiny, the head of the Hungarian Evangelical Church, told MTI that “each suffering or persecuted individual carries the wounds of Jesus”, adding that support between people “is rooted in recognising Jesus in the other person”.
He said this year’s Easter had the symbolic meaning that
“Jesus would not want us to live behind closed doors and leave those doors closed before people of a different nationality, religion, or thinking”.
Asked what churches could do for peace, the bishop said “pray, speak up, and help those suffering”. He said he was glad to see that people have showed solidarity and were ready to help. He said his community donated money and accommodated refugees in their homes at the first call.
The Evangelical Church is now in the process of organising tuition in Ukrainian in some of their schools, using bilingual teachers from Transcarpathia, Fabiny said. He added that his church was receiving help from Bavaria, the United States, and Norway to provide financial and material aid to the refugees and Hungarian families accommodating them.
