Easter in Hungary is observed in accordance with the rituals of the Eastern Orthodox Church. On Holy Saturday, worshippers congregate in the church for midnight resurrection ceremonies. After the church service people carry a statue of Christ and religious banners in a procession through the parish, singing appropriate hymns.
Easter in Budapest
In the villages, sprinkle water on women by boys or men are still practised. Sometimes perfume, sometimes cold water. Women give chocolate eggs in return. About 100km drive out from Budapest, you can enjoy a Day trip to the beautiful heritage site Holloko for Easter Festival
Village people in folk costumes to revive the Easter traditions. Do also enjoy the Easter meals and folk programs.
If you have family with children, there are some programs on Easter for you. In the Buda Castle is a festival called Budavari Husveti Sokadalom, happening from 19 til the 21st of April 2014. There are folk, craft and culinary fair, programs for children, artisan wines and a traditional Easter fare. The other place you can go is the City Park where the Hungarian Agricultural Museum (Magyar Mezogazdasagi Muzeum) is located, the Vajdahunyad Castle.
You may also want to check out the exhibition about Easter traditions in Hungary from 10am til 5pm. It is opened on the Easter Monday. If you like to see the giant painted Easter eggs, this is where you should go. Family tickets is 4500HUF (this is for 2 adults and 2 children). The single adult tickets is 1350HUF and kid ticket is 1150HUF.
40-day lent
Meatless meals on Fridays when people rarely eat meat during the 40-days before Easter. The whole house is clean, windows washed, cakes and pastries baking. Also the preparation of Kocsonya which is a jellied soup with pork meat, spices and smoked meat.
Egg Painting
In the villages, people stilled do egg painting. On Good Friday, religious people goes to the church to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On Sunday, the day of resurrection, the church bells rang. On Holy Saturday, you can see a religious procession.
Milk-loaf
The traditional Easter dishes includes smoked ham with pickled horseradish, hardboiled eggs, fresh white bread and milk-loaf.
Easter Sunday is when the little ones receives presents. A basket with eggs, ham, milk-loaf, horseradish and a bottle of wine will be brought to the church for the priest to bless it. Family eats them for breakfast with the belief that these blessed food; not leaving a single crumb; belief that crumbs of milk-loaf for the hens could lay more eggs due to its magical power.
Easter Sunday, people eat mainly meat dishes such as pork, poultry, lamb and rabbit. Beigli are pastry rolls with poppy seed or walnut fillings. Palinka is the Hungarian fruit brandy enjoyed by the men.
The Hungarians call Lent the Great Fast (nagyböjt). Since meat is forbidden during Lent, the day before Ash Wednesday is called húshagyó kedd, meaning meat abandoning Tuesday. On Holy Saturday or Nagyszombat, people take food baskets filled with kalács, red eggs and salt to the church to be blessed by the clergy. The blessed food is eaten after the resurrection ceremonies.
On Easter Monday, also known as Water Plunge Monday, boys sprinkle girls with perfume or perfumed water. While once young men used to pour buckets of water over young women's heads, today they spray perfume or cologne or just plain water, and then ask for a kiss and a red egg.
(photo: gdraskoy)
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