Public Behavior, Courtesy

The Hungarians are a very courteous and polite people. This is very pleasant and also reminds me of my own Latin heritage, where courtesy, and how one treats others in public is very important.

Hungarians use two words which do not directly translate into English for how one treats other people; “rendes” (pronounced, “rendesh”) meaning doing as one is expected (in literal English it literally means, “orderly”) and, “helyes” (pronounced, “heyesh”) which means appropriate. It is important to let others pass first, saying, “tessék” (pronounced, “teshek”) meaning, “it is your turn,” “pardon me,” or, “after you.”

Unlike Americans, Hungarians make sure when in a group to greet everyone, both coming and going. When they see people, how they greet them depends on how well they know them, but greet they must.

One greets a stranger wishing them a good morning, good day or good evening and on leaving, if it is night, say, “good night.” They may also wish them a good rest or good sleep if they are done with work or going home to sleep.

To those whom they know they say, “heló” or “szia!” (pronounced, “seeyah”) for both “hello” and “goodbye.”

It is interesting also, how Hungarians behave in elevators. Americans only look down, making neither eye nor verbal contact with others in the elevator. The Hungarian who is in the elevator treats the person coming in as a guest, pushing the floor number for the other, and as Hungarians leave the elevator they say, “goodbye.”

This attention to dress and courteous behavior was well said by the father of the great Hungarian hero Istvan Széchenyi to his son when teaching him about how to treat people: “How we treat a man when he comes to the door depends upon how he is dressed. How we treat him when he goes out the door depends upon how he behaves.”