Public holidays in Hungary
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Current revision
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | Újév | |
| March 15 | National Day | Nemzeti ünnep | Márciusi ifjak ("March youths"), memorial day of the 1848 Revolution. There are usually speeches and music pieces performed; several people wear a cockade with the national colours (red, white and green). |
| Moveable | Easter Sunday | Húsvétvasárnap | Good Friday work-free for Protestants |
| Moveable | Easter Monday | Húsvéthétfő | Men visit women and ask for permission for sprinkling by reciting a little Easter poem, they sprinkle them with some parfume (or sometimes a bucket of cold water in the countryside), and they get eggs (mostly of chocolate) in exchange. Children get chocolate bunnies and eggs (from the Bunny), and sometimes fruits, nuts etc. as well. They sometimes have to look for these presents in the garden or in their room. (Living bunnies are not infrequent, either.) Mothers often cook turkey ham for dinner. |
| May 1 | Labour day; anniversary of the accession to the EU | A munka ünnepe | The countries of the EU are represented with special programmes, bridges are decorated and exhibitions are arranged. |
| Moveable | Pentecost | Pünkösd | Sunday, 50 days after Easter |
| August 20 | National Day | Szent István ünnepe | St. Stephen's Day, Foundation of State, "the day of the new bread" as well. Celebrated with a half-hour fireworks on the bank of the Danube in the evening, attended by several hundreds of thousands of people. |
| October 23 | National Day | Nemzeti ünnep | The day of the Republic (since 1989), 1956 Revolution memorial day. Celebrated with speeches and exhibitions. |
| November 1 | All Saints Day, Day of the Dead | Mindenszentek | |
| December 24 evening, December 25 | Christmas | Karácsony | People buy (or make) presents for their relatives and friends in the preceding couple of weeks (so this period is the absolute boom of the year for most stores). Public vehicles stop running at about 3 p.m. Families reunite and people prepare their (labelled) presents under the Christmas tree. It is made of a fir which is decorated by one or two people in the family so nobody else can see it before they signal with a little bell for the rest to come in. The family sings Christmas songs together and everyone unwraps their presents. On 25th, people usually visit their farther relatives (eg. aunts, uncles and grandparents) and exchange presents. |
| December 26 | Boxing Day | Karácsony másnapja |
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Holidays not endorsed by the state
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 6 | Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas Day | Télapó, Mikulás | Children get various chocolate pieces from the Santa Claus by morning. If they were bad, they might get (birch) rods exclusively or beside their presents. |
| December 31 | New Year's Eve | Szilveszter | Young people go partying until morning. Streets are noisy with paper trumpets, hoots and champagne cracks; people often wear masks. Those who stay home usually see the comedies made for this occasion; at midnight they drink champagne and wish each other good luck for the new year. National television channels broadcast the orchestral and choral national anthem at midnight, and then the speech of the current President. With these finished, further comedies and various movies follow. The next day streets are as empty as ever, and people sleep long (or sleep themselves sober). |
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