Holidays in Hungary

Hungarian Public Holidays and Special Events are listed and explained here.
Public holidays (when shops and schools are closed) are marked red.

December 31 – January 1
New Year’s Eve (Szilveszter) and New Year’s Day – Újév
Besides the standard merry-making, there is also a New Year’s ball and concert at the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest. Stalls on the streets of Budapest sell masks and noisy paper trumpets on this holiday. January 1st is probably the quietest day in Budapest: streets are as empty, as people sleep long (or sleep themselves sober). Luckily, January 1 is a public holiday: no work, no school.

Early January
Ash Wednesday – The Ball Season starts
Formal balls are held all over the country.

February
Carnival Season – Farsang
Costume parties and carnivals take place all month long to celebrate the end of winter, especially on the last Saturday in February. City festivities usually folk music, masquerading, parades, dancing and open-air music concerts.

February 14
Valentine’s Day – Bálint nap
Hungarians started celebrating this holiday after 1989.

March 8
Women’s Day – Nőnap
Men give flowers to women both at home, school and work on this holiday.

March 15
1848 Revolution Day – 1848-as Forradalom és Szabadságharc
The “Hungarian spring” – the public holiday is a remembrance of a bloodless fight for freedom against Habsburg domination which later led to war against Austria and its allies (at the time: the Croats and Romanians).

The main demands of Hungarians were: freedom of the press, and the establishing of a Hungarian parliament in Pest with its government. Revolutionists also demanded freedom of religion, a jury, a national bank, a Hungarian army, and the withdrawal of foreign military presence from the country.

In 1849 Russia intervened on the side of Austria, and won. The Austrian retorsion included the execution of 13 generals of the Hungarian revolutionary army and of 5 civilian leaders of the short-lived independent Hungary. One of them was the first prime-minister, count Lajos Batthyány.

Each year on the holiday of March 15, the Hungarian tricolors of red, white, and green are prominently displayed all over the country.

End of March or in April
Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday – Nagypéntek, Húsvét
On Good Friday (the Friday before Easter) a lot of people will refrain from attending fun programs and places, and will not eat meet (a great difference for carnivorous Hungarians) to honor the memory of the crucifixion of Christ. A traditional Good Friday supper food is be lentils or bean soup.

Easter is an important religious holiday in Hungary. The day before families with children paint easter-eggs of all styles and color. Children find small gifts beside their beds early Sunday morning. A traditional breakfast follows of easter-eggs, ham, braided cake bread, horse-radish and hot chocolate. Many families go to church this morning to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Easter Monday is a public holiday: no school, no work. On Easter Monday, many people carry on the tradition of “sprinkling”. While once young men used to pour buckets of water over young women’s heads, today they spray perfume or water and then ask for a kiss and a red egg. Painted eggs as well as chocolate-ones are exchanged. Children receive chocolate bunnies and eggs (from the Bunny), and sometimes fruits, nuts or other small gifts. Kids will have to look for their hidden presents in the garden or in the house. In some families, girls will receive a new dress on Easter morning. Mothers often prepare a nice turkey or ham dinner.

May 1
Labor Day – A munka ünnepe
A public holiday again. Workers unions organize a celebration in Városliget (Budapest’s City Park) with speeches, acrobats, clowns, food and music. The Budapest Bridges are decorated and there are outdoor family programs throughout the city.

First Sunday in May
Mother’s Day – Anyák napja
Mothers receive flowers, sometimes hand-picked, and other presents, usually handmade from their children on this holiday. Nice dads start the day by bringing coffee for Mom in bed and taking care of the kids in the morning, letting Mom enjoy a nice, long, free morning after having received flowers gifts and kisses. Super dads take out the family for lunch or dinner and honor Mom before the Children.

Last Sunday in May
Children’s Day – Gyermeknap
Parents take children on special outings to places such as the Zoo, fun fairs, or on family
nature walks (kirándulás) in the Buda hills. No gifts, but usually lots of fun.

Early June, 50 days after Easter
Whit (Pentecost) Sunday and Whit Monday – Pünkösd vasárnap és hétfő
Religious celebrations on Sunday are followed by a public holiday on Monday. Craftsmen and folk artists host celebrations in Szentendre.

June 30
Withdrawal of Soviet Troops – A szovjet csapatok kivonása
On this holiday we celebrate the final withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary in 1991.

August 20
St. Stephen’s Day – Szent István napja
In the year of 1000 AD, Hungary’s first king, the Christian St Stephen (István), was crowned this day, and the Hungarian (Magyar) state was founded. Traditionally, the first bread from the new harvest is baked for this day. In 1949, Hungary (then the “Magyar People’s Republic”) accepted its new constitution on August 20. Parades and music are among the festivities, and an impressive 30 minute fireworks show is launched over the Danube at night, attended by several hundreds of thousands of people. August 20 is a public holiday.

October 23
1956 Uprising Memorial Day – Az 1956-os forradalom emléknapja
Also “the day of the Republic” since 1989. This national public holiday commemorates the outbreak of the people’s uprising against Soviet domination in 1956.

The new prime Minister, Imre Nagy withdrew from the Warsaw Pact of “communist” countries. Soviet troops invaded. Hungary appealed for UN assistance against Soviet invasion, but only received verbal help. Holland & Spain withdrew from Olympics, to protest Soviets in Hungary. UN demanded USSR leave Hungary. In November, after lots of bloodshed, the Hungarian revolution was put down by the powerful Red Army of the Soviet Union. Imre Nagy and many other leaders and participants were executed by the soviet regime. Soviet troops stayed in Hungary until 1991. The country also celebrates Hungary’s new constitutional status in 1989. October 23 is celebrated with speeches and exhibitions; protests are also held often on the streets, especially near the Parliament.

November 1
All Saints’ Day – Mindenszentek / Halottak napja
People remember their deceased loved ones by lighting candles at their graves in cemeteries. All Saints is a rather sober holiday in Hungary, also called ‘the day of the dead ones’. While Halloween is not celebrated in Hungary, you can find several expat-inspired events in the city.

December 6
Santa Claus (St. Nicholas’) Day – Mikulás
Children put their clean boots on their window-sills the night before. In the morning, “good” kids find candy, nuts and fruit, sometimes even small toys in their boots, while “bad” ones get bunches of twigs (virgács). Mikulás, however, never finds entirely wicked children in Hungary. Most kids then receive both candy and virgács. Santa usually also visits nursery and elementary schools. December 6th is not a public Holiday, so families must rise quite early to go through all the fun before leaving to school.

December 24, 25, 26
Christmas – Karácsony
People buy (or make) presents for their family and friends in the few of weeks before Christmas (so this period is the absolute boom of the year for most stores). Public transport stops operating at about 4 pm on the 24th. On Christmas eve (the 24th) families reunite and everyone will place their presents under the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is decorated by one or two people in the family (Dad, or Mom and Dad), so nobody else can see it before ‘the Angel’ signals with a bell for the family to come in. This will happen at around five in the afternoon, when it is dark enough outside for the candle-lit Christmas tree to glow gloriously in the dark. The family will stand around the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols together. Afterwards, everyone will unwrap their presents.This is followed by the traditional Hungarian Christmas dinner, which is fish soup and fried fish in some families, chestnut-filled turkey or goose breast in others, followed by beigli, a rolled up cookie filled with poppy seeds or nuts.
The 25th and 26th are public holidays when relatives visit each-other.
Hungarians set up their Christmas tree on the 24th, and leave it on until it lasts.
Vörösmarty tér features a large Christmas tree, and there is a cheerful outdoor country-style Christmas market there. Live music is often heard in the city.