HOLIDAYS AND CELEBRATION

Many countries around the world share certain holidays, such as New Year’s Day, Easter, and
Christmas, but not every country celebrates them in the same ways or even on the same day.
We celebrate birthdays, namedays, wedding anniversaries, March 15, Easter, Mother’s Day, August
20, October 23, All Soul’s Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. 

National Hungarian holidays and bank holidays:

bank holiday is an official public holiday when banks, schools, and many businesses are closed for the
day. In Hungary the labour day is like that. It’s almost known as may day or workers day; we
commemorate the struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movement.

In Hungary on March 15th we celebrate the day of the Hungarian Revolution and War of
Independence of 1848-49. On October 23 we celebrate the day of the revolution of 1956. For both
events, children in schools make events, and on March 15 we wear a cockade with the colour of the
Hungarian flag. August 20 is the day of King Stephen 1. when we celebrate the constitution and the
new bread.

One of the most well-known holidays is Christmas. It’s celebrated on most parts of the world. It is a
religious holiday; we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This event is full of traditions. In Hungary on
Christmas Eve (December 24) the family comes together and eats dinner. Hungary’s traditional
Christmas foods are fish soup, stuffed cabbage, poppy-seed, and nut rolls. The Christmas tree is
decorated before the dinner with sweets, brightly coloured lights, and glass ornaments. The nicely
wrapped presents are placed under it.

In England Christmas Eve is the time for the annual office party and many English people go to a
midnight mass, while others go to church on the morning of Christmas Day. When they go to bed,
children hang up an old stocking at the head of their bed for Father Christmas, also called Santa
Claus, to put presents in. The presents are found either in the stockings or under the Christmas tree,
which has been decorated with brightly coloured lights and glass ornaments. Unlike many other
European countries, it is Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve, that is the most important day of the
Christmas holidays. This is the day when families come together, presents are opened, and Christmas
dinner is eaten. On 26 December, Boxing Day, fewer and fewer people give gifts or 'boxes' for regular
callers, such as dustmen and post- men, but the day is still called Boxing Day because of this old
tradition.

An another famous Christian holiday is Easter. It’s celebrated in March or in April (the date is always
different). At Easter we celebrate the Resurrection, that is, the rising of Jesus Christ from the tomb
three days after his crucifixion. On Easter Sunday morning we eat ham, hard-boiled eggs. On Easter
Monday boys visit their relatives and friends and sprinkle women and girls with perfume or water.
They get chocolate or painted eggs, and chocolate bunnies. In England many people go to church on
Easter Sunday.

Valentine’s day and Halloween:

These two holidays are not typical for Hungary but year to year these become more and more
famous. St. Valentine’s Day, February 14, is the day of lovers. People send a card to somebody they
love without putting their names on it. Halloween is a holiday in many English-speaking countries
that is celebrated on the night of October 31st. Children wear costumes and they go to people’s
homes saying “Trick or treat!” to ask for candy and then the people give it to them. People
sometimes dress up as ghosts, witches, goblins, and other scary things for Halloween. In Hungary we
throw parties on Halloween day and party while we are wearing costumes.

At school we have opening and closing ceremony, school-leavers ball/prom, farewell-ceremony.

We with the student government also organise some events to bring closer the school’s community
and to loose up the stress. Like sports days, film nights and parties.