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. 

Epiphany (6 January)

On the day of Epiphany, priests would walk around the villages and collect handouts. It was a common Hungarian winter tradition, already practiced in the 15th century. In exchange for money or food, they would bless the family and write the initial letters of the names of the three kings who visited Jesus after his birth.

Carnival Season 

The Carnival season began on the day of Epiphany and lasted until Ash Wednesday, the end of February. According to inf.u-szeged.hu, the first Carnival references date back to the 15th century. Men and women would swap their clothes or wear animal-inspired masks while marching along the villages singing and making lots of noise. The rich and poor would both take part in these fun activities. Already in the time of Matthias Corvinus, the king and his wife were known to receive elaborately detailed masks from Elizabeth’s Italian relatives. The Busó festivities in the southwestern city of Mohács are important end-of-winter carnival customs. The busós are scary-looking men wearing wooden masks and woolly cloaks. They would march through the town alongside horse-drawn fantasy vehicles and burn coffins that symbolised the winter season. This Hungarian winter tradition originated with the Croatian minority living in Mohács but nowadays it is considered a great emblem of the city.

Short theatrical plays, funeral games and mock-up weddings were also common amidst the carnival festivities. Log-pulling or pinewood weddings were common folk traditions at this time of the year. It was basically a parody of real weddings and aimed to draw attention to the importance of getting married and remind the youth to find a suitable partner before they got too old. 

However, the carnival season did not mean fun for everyone. At the end of the celebrations, young men would gather together and make noise with tins and yell obscene remarks under the windows of unmarried girls who did not find a husband that year.

Read more: Carnival season in Hungary – Costumes and traditions – PHOTOS

Source: inf.u-szeged.hu, ich.unesco.org