Mother’s Day, celebrated in countries all over the world, is a day of showing love and appreciation for one’s mother or motherly figures. Traditions for Mother’s Day in Hungary vary in some ways from celebrations in your own country, though there are bound to be many similarities, too.

In Hungary, Mother’s Day is when you can expect to see little children giving their mothers handmade Mother’s Day gifts, Mother’s Day cards, or sweet-smelling lilacs. Maybe even while singing the words Orgona ága, barackfa virága (literally meaning “Organ Branch, Peach Tree Flower” ) to honor their beloved mothers.

By learning about how Hungary celebrates Mother’s Day, you’re both showing respect for the country of your target language, and giving yourself an opportunity to expand your understanding of the holiday itself. At HungarianPod101.com, we hope to make learning about Hungarian culture both fun and insightful! And we believe that learning about Mother’s Day in this country is both of those things.

Let’s get started!

1. What is Mother’s Day in Hungary?

What day is Mother’s Day?

The tradition of celebrating mothers can be traced back to ancient Greece. In the early 20th century, America started celebrating Mother’s Day, and later more and more European countries joined.

Hungarians first celebrated mothers on the first Sunday of May in 1925. The celebration was organized by the Hungarian Red Cross Youth. The date was chosen to connect the occasion with the traditional cult of the Blessed Virgin service.

2. When is Mother’s Day?

The Mother’s Day date in Hungary varies from year to year, but is always the first Sunday in May. For your convenience, here’s a list of this holiday’s date for the next ten years.

• 2019: May 5
• 2020: May 3
• 2021: May 2
• 2022: May 1
• 2023: May 7
• 2024: May 5
• 2025: May 4
• 2026: May 3
• 2027: May 2
• 2028: May 7

3. Reading Practice: How is Mother’s Day Celebrated?

How is Mother’s Day in Hungary celebrated? Read the Hungarian text below to find out, and find the English translation directly below it.

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Májusban minden óvoda és iskola tart kisebb-nagyobb anyák napi ünnepséget. A gyerekek sajátkezűleg készítenek rajzot, hajtogatnak virágot, vagy bármilyen egyszerűen elkészíthető kézműves ajándékot az édesanyjuknak. Ezeket versszavalás, ének kiséretében az anyák napi ünnepélyen adják át az anyukáknak. Ilyenkor a virágárusok nagy örömére a felnőttek is egy szál, vagy egy egész csokor virággal kedveskednek az anyukáknak, nagymamáknak és dédmamáknak.

2013-ban egy babaápolási termékeket gyártó cég azzal lepte meg a szerencsés édesanyákat, hogy családjukat lefényképezte és személyes üzenet kíséretében, egy óriásplakáton megjelenítette. Természetesen az édesanyák nem tudtak erről az akciórol. Nagy volt a meglepetés, amikor meglátták a szeretteiket a hatalmas fényképen, amint boldog anyák napját kívánnak nekik.

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In May, all schools and kindergartens organize a smaller Mother’s Day celebration. Children draw, make paper flowers with their own hands, or any easy-to-make artisan present for their mums. During the Mother’s Day celebration itself, they can give presents to their mothers while saying poems and singing songs. To make florists also happy, adults buy a flower or a bunch of flowers for their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers.

In Hungary, there is no Mother’s Day celebration without the Flower of May: the lilac. Botanists say that the lilac symbolizes devotion with its special beauty and fresh, peachy aroma, so over time, it has become a worthy element of this festivity. Lilac, as the flower of Mother’s Day, is also a common theme of songs and poems written for this occasion.

In 2013, a company that makes baby care products surprised lucky mothers by taking pictures of their families. They put these pictures on giant posters with personal messages on them. Of course, the chosen mothers knew nothing about this occurrence. It was a big surprise when they saw the huge pictures on the street, on which their loved ones wished them a happy Mother’s Day.

4. Additional Information: Patron Saint

When it comes to Mother’s Day, Hungary even has a patron saint who may be attributed (at least partially) with its desire to celebrate mothers.

Do you know who the patron saint of Hungary is?
The patron saint of Hungary is the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary. Even the first Hungarian Mother’s Day in 1925 was in connection with the old cult of Mary in May.

5. Must-know Vocab

Here’s some vocabulary you should know for Mother’s Day in Hungary!

• Vasárnap — “Sunday”
• Fia — “son”
• Lánya — “daughter”
• Nagymama — “grandmother”
• Anya — “mother”
• Csokoládé — “chocolate“
• Vacsora — “dinner“
• Rózsa — “rose”
• Szeret — “love”
• Ajándék — “present”
• Anyák napja — “Mother’s Day”
• Üdvözlőkártya — “greeting card”
• Ünnepel — “celebrate”
• ágyban reggeli — “breakfast in bed”
• Ajándékutalvány — “gift certificate”
• Szülő — “parent”

To hear the pronunciation of each Hungarian Mother’s Day vocabulary word, check out our relevant vocabulary list. Here, you’ll find each word accompanied by an audio file of its pronunciation.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed learning about how Hungarians celebrate Mother’s Day. Are Mother’s Day celebrations and traditions similar in your own country, or different? Let us know in the comments!

To learn more about Hungarian culture and the language, visit us at HungarianPod101.com. We provide our students with insightful blog posts on numerous topics, free vocabulary lists for a fuller word knowledge, and an online community where you can discuss lessons with fellow Hungarian learners! By upgrading to Premium Plus, you can also take advantage of our MyTeacher program and learn Hungarian one-on-one with your own personal teacher.

Wherever you are on your language-learning journey, and wherever you want to be, know that your hard work will pay off! You’ll be speaking Hungarian like a native before you know it. And HungarianPod101.com will be here with all the study materials and support you need to get there!

Until next time, Happy Mother’s Day!