10.

MAGYARORSZÁG NEVEZETESSÉGEI
HUNGARY

Hungary is a country situated in the Carpathian Basin in Central Europe. The capital city is
Budapest. The country is a member of the European Union, the NATO and the Schengen Area.
Hungary has an area of 93,093 square kilometers with an estimated population of 9,879,000.

Hungary is a democratic republic where members of the parliament are elected every four years.
The Prime Minister serves as the head of government and the President of the Republic serves
as the head of state. The president is János Áder. The prime minister is Viktor Orbán.

The official language of Hungary is Hungarian. The capital city is Budapest. Our currency is
Hungarian Forint. Hungary is divided into nineteen counties.

Our country can be divided into three large regions: Transdanubia, the Great Plain and Northern
Hungary. The Transdanubian part is mainly hilly with the exception of the northern region,
which is called the Small Plain. The soil is exceptionally good there for crops and vegetables.
A similar area is a Great Plain, where most of Hungary’s crops are grown. Northern Hungary
is fairly mountainous and the country’s highest peak can also be found there. Hungary belongs
to the drainage system of Europe’s second largest river, the Danube. The Tisza is another long
river and Lake Balaton is the second largest freshwater lake in Central and Western Europe.

Hungary is very good at sports and I am very proud of Hungarian sport men. We have lots of
Olympic Champions, World and European Champions. For example: Alfréd Hajós in
swimming (The swimming pool called Alfréd Hajós was named after him.), István Kovács
(Koko) in boxing, Katalin Kovács in kayak, Krisztina Egerszegi in swimming, Tímea Nagy in
fencing, men’s water polo team, Szilveszter Csollány in gymnastics ring, Zsolt Borkai in
gymnastics pommel horse. Hungary is also successful in the water sports like water polo, kayak-
canoe and swimming, and we are good at fencing and handball.

Hungary has a thriving cultural scene with theaters, ballet and musical performances in most of
its major cities and towns. The film industry has also reached international success. The Nobel
Prize in Literature was awarded to a Hungarian author, Imre Kertész in 2002.

Hungarian has a characteristic cuisine with dishes based on meats, seasonal vegetables and
fruits, dairy products and spices, such as pepper and paprika. Famous Hungarian meals are
Goulash Soup, Pancake, Fish soup, Paprika chicken, Stuffed cabbage, Hungarian sausages,
bacons, Chimney cake, Strudel, Langos. Of course drinks are famous too, for example wine
and pálinka.

Public and traditional holidays in Hungary

15th March (the fifteenth of March)

We commemorate the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of eighteen-forty-eight
and fourty-nine. We wear ‘kokárda’ (national sign, emblem)” on this day on the left side of our
suit or coat where our heart is.
 1st May (the first of May – Labour Day)
It is a spring holiday when maypoles are put up in gardens. The beer and the Vienna sausage
occur to me about this public holiday mostly. Lots of interesting programs are usually held and
a board is stood upright, too.
20th August (the twentieth of August)
It is the day of Stephan the first. On this day we commemorate the founding of our state almost
a thousand years ago. This is the day of new bread.

23rd October (the twenty-third of October)

We celebrate the declaration of the Hungarian Republic and commemorate the revolution of
nineteen-fifty-six.

Hungarian traditions

Busó Walk
People wear traditional costumes at carneval time to chase away winter.

Easter Monday
At Easter, boys sprinkle girls with perfume while citing one of the funny little poems written
for these occasions. According to the tradition, women who are not ‘watered' will fade away.
In old times, it used to be a bucket of cold water, however today it's a tamer version that's in
use. Part of the Easter celebrations (and a favourite among kids) is the painting of eggs.

Weddings
Weddings in Hungary have their own choreography and traditions as well. The wedding
procession is particularly important and is usually followed by the whole village. The bridal
dance is supposed to ensure the young couple's financial stability – guests have to pay to take
the bride to dance. Breaking glasses will drive bad ghosts away, and by cleaning up the mess
together the young couple can demonstrate how well they can cooperate. Oh, and don't be
surprised if the bride gets stolen. The young husband has to perform some tasks to get her back...
And believe it or not, there is no other event in Hungary where more pálinka is drank than a
wedding.

Namedays
Every first name have its own day in the calendar, based on historical events or religious
traditions. While namedays are considered less important events than birthdays, Hungarian
people usually present their loved ones on namedays with a bottle of wine or a bouquet of
flowers.

Mikulás
On the day of Saint Nicholas, Mikulás, who is a similar figure to Santa Claus, comes to the
Hungarian children to reward them. Children clean their boots and put them out in the window.
By the next morning they will get something in the boots, depending on whether they were
good or bad. Mikulás gives chocolate to those children who behaved well during the year, but
those who were naughty only get “virgács”.
 Christmas
When Christmas comes, it is the Infant Jesus (“Jézuska”) who gives presents to the members
of the family. Little children mostly don’t take part in decorating the Christmas tree, because
they are told that angels bring the tree into the house while they are visiting a relative, or taking
a walk with other family members.

The family decorates the tree on the 24th of December, and they give presents to each other on
the same evening. In many places the tree is decorated with “szaloncukor”. It is a little piece of
bonbon in wrapping paper, available in many flavors: chestnut, coconut, banana, cherry, orange
jelly and so on, all of them covered with chocolate.

News Year’s Day

Many Hungarian people eat lentil stew on the first day of New Year, or throw lentil seeds on
each other because it is believed to make them wealthy. Other traditional New Year’s meal is
pork – in old times, people believed that the pig grubs the family’s luck out of the ground.

BUDAPEST

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. The city is divided into two parts by Danube River,
Buda and Pest. This is one of the most popular Hungarian destination for foreigners because of
its exceptional sights and historical heritage.

Sights to see in Budapest:

 Matthias Church: a 700 year-old gothic church on Castle hill, re-built in the last century.
Many kings were crowned here.
 City Park: the largest open space in Budapest, it contains the zoo, funfair, and a castle
specially built to show the many styles of Hungarian architecture.
 Elizabeth Bridge: the only bridge to be re-built in modern style after the War, it was the
first cable bridge in Europe and is famous for its slender, graceful lines.
 The Royal Palace: originally a castle from the 13th century, it was re-built as a
magnificent residence for the monarchy in the 19th century and now houses the National
Gallery.
 Parliament: the seat of the Hungarian government, building began in 1885 and finished
in 1905.
 Chain Bridge: the first permanent link between Buda and Pest, it was the brainchild of
István Széchenyi and was designed and built by two British engineers, both named
Clark.
 The Citadel and Liberation monument: a Habsburg fortress on the highest hill of the
Danube bank, with the statue commemorating the release of Hungary from Nazi
domination at the end of the World War II.
 Heros’ Square: flanked by the Fine Arts Museum and the Art Gallery, the central
column carries the Millenium Monument and stands in front of a semi-circle of statues
of great historical figures.
 Margaret Island: in the middle of the Danube, and nearly two miles long, it is a spacious
and varied leisure park with its own spa.
 The Fishermen’s Bastion: visitors are usually amazed to learn that this was only built in
1903. It offers excellent views of the city.
Furthermore, several museums, galleries and theaters can be found all across the capital city.