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Quirky Hungarian Carnival traditions and customs
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If you have ever had the chance to visit Hungary in gloomy February and take part in the widely popular Hungarian Carnival festivities, you already know what a special vibe it has with lots of freaky people dancing in weird costumes as if there was no tomorrow. However, if you are new to these fascinating winter farewell activities, we will give a little glimpse of them as well as tell you some rare Hungarian Carnival traditions to get into the festive mood.
The core of festive merrymaking
In terms of folklore traditions and customs, the main activities of the Hungarian Carnival season take place on the following three days: Carnival Sunday, Carnival Monday and No Meat Tuesday, which are often referred to as Farsang farka (“tail of the Carnival”). During these closing days of the winter farewell activities, locals toss all inhibitions out of the window and pour don’t the streets for a never-ending parade. Women in the Balaton region, for example, even dress up in man clothes and act like chaps the entire day.
Even though Carnival has pagan roots, it is strongly tied to Christian religious holidays as it precedes the Lent phase of Easter. Feast Thursday, which comes after Ash Wednesday, has special importance in Hungary as people finally let go of all the restrictions and scoff down whatever food was left after the Carnival festivities.
Read more: 6 traditional dishes popular around the Hungarian Carnival season
Buso-walking of Mohács
The world-famous Hungarian Carnival tradition of the native South-Slavic Šokac population in Mohács attracts large flocks of tourists every year. Each February, this historic southern Hungarian town is taken over with mayhem, revelry and endless, but endless, celebration and culinary enjoyment. Men, called the busók, wearing handmade, carved and painted masks and heavy woolly cloaks arrive in row boats on the shores of the River Danube for a noisy march through the city. Needless to say, the 6-day parade also involves a great deal of dancing, folk music and alcohol.