Who brings Christmas presents in Hungary if not Santa?

In Europe, Christmas gifts arrive through various figures. In Western Europe, it’s Father Christmas; in Russia, Grandfather Frost; and in North Germany, the Christmas Man. Scandinavia anticipates the Christmas gnome every 24 December. However, Hungary stands apart. 

Thanks to Hollywood, everybody knows in Hungary that in the United States, Santa brings presents for the kids (their parents, and grandparents, etc.). However, in Hungary, it is not Santa who slides down the chimney to surprise children with toy trains, buses, dolls and car keys placed under the tree.

In Hungary, Baby Jesus comes to bring gifts to the little ones. And surprisingly, the day when Hungarian families unwrap their presents falls on 24 December. According to the myth most kids are familiar with, Baby Jesus embodies God’s infinite love. Contrary to common birthdays, the saint child doesn’t receive gifts but he gives them to people instead.

In some Hungarian families, adults and kids decorate the Christmas tree but the Baby Jesus brings the presents almost everywhere. The only exceptions are the most archaic Hungarian regions, like the Szeklerland and some parts of Transylvania. There, the Christmas Angel brings the gifts for the family celebrating Jesus’s birth. Baby Jesus brings ‘only’ the decorated Christmas tree.

Baby Jesus is not unique to Hungary

Baby Jesus is not a unique Hungarian custom. In the former Austro-Hungarian Empire (today Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic), part of Switzerland and South Germany, it’s also Baby Jesus’s duty to see after the Christmas presents.

On Christmas Eve, all Hungarian families gather to spend the evening chanting and eating traditional Hungarian dishes. Those include apples, nuts, honey, garlic, meatless bean soup, fish, meat soup, stuffed cabbage, bejgli and mákos guba. Some families repeat this on Christmas Day.

Are you wondering what a traditional Hungarian Christmas dinner looks like? Have a look HERE!

According to folklore, the arrangement of the Christmas table influences the family’s future. They even used the Christmas tablecloth for spring planting and placed grain on the table, benefiting poultry. Hay beneath the table, recalling Jesus’s birth in a barn, was given to animals or tied to fruit trees for a prosperous harvest.

Hungary preserves the tradition of presenting the nativity play, known as “betlehemezés.” Unlike carolling, it’s a dramatic enactment involving multiple participants, narrating Jesus’s birth and the visit of the Three Wise Men (biblical Magi). The play unfolds in a manger, portraying the holy family’s story.

Read also:

• Charming Christmas traditions in Hungarian families – Part 1 HERE
• Charming Christmas traditions in Hungarian families – Part 2 HERE