Planning to visit Hungary in 2019? Get the most out of your experience! Learn here about the most important holidays in Hungary - fast and easy with HungarianPod101!
| January 6, 2019 | Carnival Season |
| March 8, 2019 | International Women’s Day |
| March 15, 2019 | 1848 Revolution Memorial Day |
| May 1, 2019 | May Day |
| May 5, 2019 | Mother’s day |
| May 26, 2019 | Children’s Day |
| May 29, 2019 | Challenge Day |
| June 9, 2019 | Pentecost |
| August 20, 2019 | St. Stephen Day |
| October 6, 2019 | The 13 Martyrs of Arad Memorial Day |
| October 23, 2019 | 1956 Memorial Day |
| November 1, 2019 | All Saints’ Day |
| November 2, 2019 | All Souls’ Day |
| December 8, 2019 | Bronze, Silver, Gold Sunday |
| December 6, 2019 | Saint Nichola’s Day |
How well do you know holidays in Hungary?
In this article, you learn all about the top Hungary holidays and the traditions and history behind them. Check the must-know Hungarian vocabulary for popular holidays in Hungary too!
That way, you can easily talk about Hungarian holidays while improving your vocabulary and overall speaking skills. You will pick up key vocab, phrases, and cultural insights you won’t find in a textbook.
Perfect for any student interested in learning more about Hungarian culture. We will teach you the what, why, when and how of Hungary holidays.
The carnival season starts on January 6 and lasts until Ash Wednesday (hamvazószerda). There are several balls, festivities, and popular carnivals held during this season. Hungary’s most famous carnival is the Busójárás of Mohács mohácsi busójárás, which is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity representative list. During this time, busós, the people who wears the busó costume, cross the river in scary masks and march through the town with clappers (kereplők) and bells. To symbolize the end of winter (tél), they send a “winter’s coffin” down the river, and to make winter’s death certain, they burn it on the bonfire (máglya).
People show their respect and appreciation towards women by giving flowers (virágok) and kind words on March 8 every year. In Hungary, many people have mixed feelings about International Women’s Day. Some people say there’s no need to have a distinct day dedicated to showing our love (szeretet) and respect (tisztelet) toward women, because these feelings should really be expressed every day. Either way, on March 8 in modern Hungary all men in the family give nice bouquets to the women in their lives, and in many schools and workplaces women and girls find flowers decorating their desks when they arrive.
The Hungarian Revolution started on March 15, 1848 and the subsequent fight for freedom (szabadságharc) was a significant part of the wave of revolutions that engulfed Europe in 1848. March 15, the anniversary of the revolution, is a national holiday. Remembrances are held all over the country. Politicians (politikusok) currently in power try to use this occasion to obtain the support of people wearing the rosette (kokárda).
May 1 is Labor Day (a munka ünnepe) in many countries around the world. In 1891, at the second congress of the Internacionale, May 1 was officially pronounced the “warrior holiday of the cooperation of the international working class.” During the twentieth century, May 1 became gradually more and more socialist; it became a national holiday (nemzeti ünnepnap) in the Soviet Union, Hungary, and other socialist countries.
Hungarians celebrated mothers on the first Sunday of May in 1925 for the first time.
In May, all schools and kindergartens organize a smaller Mother’s Day celebration, called anyák napi ünnepség. Children draw, make paper flowers by hand, or construct easy-to-make artisan presents (ajándék) for their moms. During the Mother’s Day celebration itself, they give the presents to their mothers while reciting poems and singing songs.
Children’s Day is celebrated in Hungary much as it is around the world, and started out being Children’s Week in 1931. Later on, it became simply Children’s Day, and takes place on the final Sunday of the month of May.
Hungarians celebrate health and fitness on Challenge Day (A Kihívás Napja), a sports-related holiday with roots in Canada. The main aim of this holiday is to get people moving for at least fifteen minutes, though in the past the exercise was a bit more rigorous. On this day, different towns, cities, or settlements compete against each other to see which of them is the fittest through measuring the physical activity of its people. Sports are often played on this day, and Hungary’s Olympic team fully supports this day.
Pentecost is an ancient festivity in which Christians celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit. People in Christian churches throw rose petals (rózsaszirmok), which symbolize the flame around the Holy Spirit, which itself is symbolized by white doves. The celebration of Pentecost in Hungary includes several elements of ancient Hungarian traditions, one being the Pentecostal King. The winner (győztes) is decided by horse races or other competitions. The winner of the competitions is crowned the Pentecostal King (pünkösdi király) and receives many privileges and invitations to balls, nuptials, and free drinks in the pub.
This is the date that Hungarians celebrate Saint Stephen I (I. Szent István király), the first king of Hungary. St. Stephen created the Christian Kingdom of Hungary which existed for almost nine centuries in the Carpathian Basin. This means August 20 is primarily a Christian (keresztény) celebration, but during the twentieth century it took on other significance as well. On this day ,there are different events everywhere in the country, but without a doubt, watching the fireworks (tűzijátékok) of Budapest from the river bank of the Danube is by far the most spectacular part of the day.
On October 6, 1849, according to the verdict of the Austrian Emperor’s court-martial, thirteen officers of the Hungarian army were put to death, because the Austrian army could defeat Hungarian freedom fighters only by asking for military help from Russia. The Hungarian army couldn’t cope with the huge Russian army (orosz hadsereg), and on August 13 laid down their arms near the village of Világos before their enemies. This was a huge offense to the Habsburg Empire, because it amounted to proof that the Austrian Emperor couldn’t beat the Hungarians alone, without the help of Russia. As revenge for surrendering to Russia and not to the Habsburgs, the Thirteen Martyrs of Arad were doomed to death by the rope. Many people mourned and pilgrims went to Arad after the execution (kivégzés).
Many atrocities were committed under the Stalinist dictatorship imposed in Hungary after WWII, which led to demonstrations held in Budapest and other major cities on October 23, 1956. The initial demonstration was started by students from the Technical University of Budapest and rapidly increased to more than 200-thousand by the evening. When the secret police opened fire, the peaceful demonstration transformed into an armed revolution.
On October 23, 1989, the President of the Republic declared the establishment of the Hungarian Republic (Magyar Köztársaság). Today, Hungarians commemorate the establishment of the Hungarian Republic and the events of 1956 by celebrating Revolution Day.
On the November 1 and 2, traffic sharply increases around the cemeteries (temető) in Hungary. This is because the first two days of November are All Saints’ Day or All Hallows and All Souls’ Day. The Catholic All Saints’ Day is a day to commemorate souls (lelkek). On the first two days of November, all families in Hungary visit cemeteries. They clean the graves of their dead relatives and decorate them with bouquets, wreaths, and candles, praying for the salvation of their family members’ souls.
On November 1 and 2, traffic sharply increases around the cemeteries (temető) in Hungary. This is because the first two days of November are All Saints’ Day or All Hallows and All Souls’ Day. November 2, All Souls’ Day, was recognized as a holiday by the Church in 998. This is the day to commemorate those souls who haven’t received salvation and are currently in purgatory (purgatórium).
The four Sundays before Christmas are also known as Bronze, Silver, and Golden Sundays in Hungary. On these Sundays, shops targeting the wallets of the masses close later, and shop assistants do their best to sell all the products they think are indispensable for Christmas.
The word Mikulás (Hungary’s Santa Claus) is the folk version of Saint Nicholas, who was the bishop of Myra, patron saint of sailors, merchants, perfumers, pharmacists, pawnshops, children, and students.
Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of distillers of pálinka, or “fruit brandy,” and the town of Kecskemét. The Saint Nicholas Church of Kecskemét was built in such a way that on December 6, on the day of Saint Nicholas, the rays of the setting sun light up the altar.
You may ask why it is advantageous to know Hungarian holidays. There are a number of good reasons!
If you’re keen to learn Hungarian on your own, there are a number of ways to do this. Why not choose holidays as a theme? You can start by learning about the Hungarian culture, so find a video or TV program about holidays in Hungary. Better still - find a video or program about holidays in Hungarian, and watch it a few times! That way your ear will get used to the spoken language. You could also watch Hungarian movies without subtitles, as this too will train your ear to what correct Hungarian sounds like.
If you’re more advanced in Hungarian, you can practice your writing skills by writing a letter to your Hungarian friend about the holidays video. Or write a short review of the video, and post it on social media! Imagine how impressed your friends will be!
Practice your Hungarian pronunciation, and record yourself talking about your holiday in Hungary. Pronouncing words correctly in any language is very important, or you may find yourself saying things you don’t mean!
If you’re an absolute beginner, it would be best to start with a book, a CD series, free PDF cheat sheets and preferably your Hungarian friend who can help you. Or, you can start with HungarianPod101, for free!
Holidays in Hungary can also be the perfect opportunity to practice your Hungarian! For the best experience, make sure to master at least Level 1 of your Hungarian lessons here on HungarianPod101 before you go on holiday to Hungary. Then don’t be shy! Use it with every native speaker you encounter in every situation. Practicing continuously to speak a language is one of the most important habits if you want to become fluent. Or, if you’re a new subscriber to HungarianPod101 in a hurry to get to Hungary, study Absolute Beginner Hungarian for Every Day to help you get by as a traveller - you will be surprised how far a little Hungarian can go!
HungarianPod101 is uniquely geared to help you master relevant, everyday vocabulary and phrases, pronounced correctly and in the right context - this will set you on the right track. Our courses are perfectly designed to help you in fun ways!
But do have a holiday first. Ideally you will enjoy a different culture with a visit, and enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. Don’t wait till 2020 to learn Hungarian through HungarianPod101 though - it will open a whole new world for you!
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