May Tree tradition in Hungary
1st of May is the solidarity day of workers since 1990.
In Hungary the 1st of May became the biggest international labour celebration in the 20th century, especially in the Soviet Union and the socialist countries. It became an official public holiday and labour-free day. However, after the fall of communist regimes, the 1st of May became the solidarity of workers. Since then, it is mostly celebrated with summering/maying. (Majális in Hungarian).
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| Photo archive |
In the villages this is the time when boys bring baskets to their ladies, thus implying their intention of courting. The maypole and the green branch is the symbol of nature's revival, it is also the proof of courting intention and a gift of love. The maypole is a whip tree with its branches cut off at the trunk and with a frondous tip or neat branch. Young men went out at night to the forest and cut it, to then mount it in front of the house beloved girl. This is decorated with ribbons, handkerchiefs flowers, bottles of wine, gilded, eggs etc. before they are dug into the ground. The cutting and delivery of the maypole happened in secret, at night, while its decoration a dawn was mostly the joint and confidental task of the boy squad. The beauty and size of the maypole was a source of discussion everywhere: who courts to whom, who got the prettiest tree, whose tree was disfigured at night by an enemy, etc. The tippig of the tree usually went together with celebrations, dances. Dancing around the maypole and climbing up to them was a ceremonial part of the tipping. It was especially hard to climb tall trees without periderm. But it was a real competition, as the one who was able to climb the maypole, won the bottle of drink at the top.
In the cities the visiting of summerings is more common activity, as it is a fun programme for the whole family. It is basically like a joyful ball, where people can eat and drink delicacies, take part in different activities, while children can enjoy amusement parks, different games and workshops.
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| Szinyei Merse Pál:Majális |
Here you can find a video about how our friend climbed the May Tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlbO93uRkeU
Easter in Hungary
Easter - or "Húsvét" in Hungarian - is an important cultural and Christian heritage that's steeped in traditions and abundant in delicious food, while both Easter Sunday and Monday are marked as public holidays in Hungary.
Easter is a Christian tradition that celebrates Jesus rising from the dead. It's a roving event that follows the Lenten fasting period, and in Hungary the various celebrations and traditions have links to Christian traditions, pagan rituals and modern chocolatey fun!
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| Easter in Szenna Skanzen with the Somogy Dance Ensemble |
"Locsolkodás"
On Easter Monday, this tradition called "locsolkodás" involves boys and men reciting a poem to women and girls and then "sprinkling" them with perfume. In extreme cases this can also be achieved with a bucket of cold water! Originally it was young women of marriage-age who would be the victims but now the act (which has links to earlier pagan fertility rituals) has expanded to women of all ages – even relatives and colleagues.
In return for each "sprinkling" the ladies give the men chocolate Easter eggs, specially decorated painted eggs, home made cakes and/or a shot of pálinka (a potent Hungarian fruit brandy). So on Easter Monday in Hungary boys and men go from house to house visiting family, friends.
Painted eggs
Painted eggs are part of a prominent Easter tradition in Hungary. Within the Christian tradition eggs were painted red (to symbolize Jesus' blood), but in recent centuries this has changed to eggs being dyed many varied colors. The flower motifs that are often incorporated in the decoration reflect the embroidery and motifs found on Hungarian heritage folk costumes.
An elaborate technique is employed for the decoration: wax is used to draw the design on the egg, which is then dyed and it is slightly warmed so the wax melts off, leaving the white pattern on the otherwise coloured egg. Before the whole process the eggs are either hardboiled or the contents of the egg is blown out of the shell via a small pinhole at the top and bottom.
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| I did it here, in Granada :D |
The Easter Bunny
In modern Hungary the Easter Bunny brings chocolate eggs for young children and these are sometimes hidden in the house or garden, before they are found after an extensive Easter Egg Hunt. This usually takes place on Easter Sunday or Easter Monday in Hungary.
Food
For those following Christian traditions, on Good Friday it's customary to eat fish, while on Easter Sunday meat dishes are eaten – particularly exciting if you have been fasting for Lent. Typically Hungarians eat ham served with horseradish and boiled eggs on Easter Sunday while "kalács" (a kind of braided Milk Loaf) is also served at Easter in Hungary. Of course chocolate eggs are also a huge part of the Easter diet, although this is a more modern element of the celebration.
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| Because of I spend the Easter here, before I came here, we baked it with my mother. We always bake it in Easter with my family. |
Here you can find more pictures, and with the following links you can see videos, about how we celebrate our Easter traditions with my dance group. :)
Koch Máté photos (He took the pictures about our Easter celebration in Szenna):
More pictures about Somogy Dance Ensemble:
Video about celebration Easter in Szenna:
Modern, funny Easter Monday celebration: :D
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| Easter Monday in Szenna Skanzen |
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| Dance together |
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| I did it with my sisters a few years ago |
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| An other type of eggs |
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| The first step :D |
