The most important Hungarian winter traditions – PART II.

A cold wind howls, stripping leaves off of the trees, and we wrap ourselves in knits up until our chin to keep warm. It is time to admit that winter is here, and it is here to stay for a good while. For this occasion, let’s have a look at the most important Hungarian winter traditions and see how our ancestors kept themselves entertained during these chilly and unpleasant months. If you are interested, check out the first part of this series HERE.

Little Saints’ Day (28 December)

This day marks one of the most bizarre Hungarian cultural practices. On Little Saints’ Day, young men would go around the villages and pass by every house where unmarried girls and future brides lived. According to this Hungarian winter tradition, they carried a whip made of twigs and gave a couple of tender lashes to each girl so they would grow into healthy and beautiful women. In Győr-Sopron County, this custom was linked to the inauguration of teenage boys. In order to make the physical punishment more pleasant, the young men sang lovely, old-fashioned folk songs while whipping the girls. In exchange, the girls tied a ribbon on each guy’s whip while their mothers handed over neatly wrapped meat to the singers. Once their job was done, the lads returned to the local pub where they cooked the meat outdoors. This very meat was served at the inauguration dinner which was strictly attended by males.

By the end of the ceremony, most young men were pretty drunk, however, the festivities were not over yet. The newly inaugurated men were then sent to the houses of unmarried girls where they were taken care of by the women of the household. This last part meant the closing point of their young foolish years and helped them enter a more mature chapter in their lives.

Read more: Funny dos and don’ts for New Year’s Day in Hungary

New Year’s Eve (31 December – 1 January) 

The last day of the year was not always celebrated on 31 December as it is today. This tradition most probably originated from the Roman Empire and spread all across Europe along with the solar calendar. However, it took some centuries for people to accept this new chronology. According to anthropologists, the ancient Hungarian conquerors must have counted the new year from the beginning of autumn or spring. Our ancestors had the firm belief that whatever they did on the first day of the year determined their next twelve months. Therefore, they set the tone for the new year with lots of noisy celebrations, hoping that the rest of the year will be equally fun and carefree. Marching along the village with cowbells was a common way to make lots of noise, and thus, chase away evil spirits.

Future telling was also a beloved Hungarian winter tradition at this time of the year. Young unmarried girls would make a so-called garlic calendar: they would sprinkle salt on twelve cloves and the ones that got damp by the next day indicated the months with the most rain or snow. In other regions, people would pour hot lead in cold water on New Year’s Eve and from the shape the material took once it hardened, they would try to make predictions for the future. In families with girls, women would write different male names on pieces of paper and then tuck them in dumplings and put them in boiling water. The first dumpling that came to the surface revealed the name of the young girl’s future husband.