Hungary - Culture

Hungary is located deep in central Europe, in the Carpathian Basin. The country is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, the Alps, and the Dinaric Alps. The Danube River divides Hungary with Budapest as the country's capital. Until the middle of the 19th century, Hungary was a primarily rural agricultural society. In recent years, more than half of the Hungarian people still worked in agriculture. Small Hungarian villages often had large populations with a church always located in the centre of each village. Many settlements were 'two-church villages,' indicating that two different groups settled there at different times in history.

Folk music has historically played a big role in the culture of Hungary. About 1,500 years ago, the early settlers came to Hungary from central Asia. These people were known as the Magyars. They brought song, dance and other parts of their native culture. The culture they brought was unlike the culture of Europe at that time. Much of the Asian influence has remained. Folk music, for example, has its roots in the ancient Magyars. Hungarian folk music is performed with simple instruments like drums, violins, and flutes. In that respect, ancient Hungarian folk music is closely related to central Asian folk music. Today, much of the more traditional Hungarian folk music has been modernised with new styles and new instruments.

February is carnival season throughout Hungary, especially in the town of Farsang. In this town, costume parties and carnivals take place all month long to mark the end of winter. City festivities usually include a huge carnival, a costume parade and open air music concerts. Another big celebration in Hungary takes place on March 15th every year. It is called the Revolution Day in remembrance of the 1848 fight for freedom when the Hungarians came up against Habsburg domination. The Croats and the Romanians were also involved in the battle. The natives call this the Hungarian Springtime Celebration. Festivities and special celebrations are held all around the country.

On Labor Day, worker's unions organise a major celebration in Budapest's City Park. The festivities often include speeches, clowns, acrobats, food and authentic Hungarian folk music. Another big celebration in Hungary is St. Stephen's Day. This festival recalls the year 1000 when Christian St Stephen, was crowned, and the Hungarian (formerly the Magyar) state was founded. Traditionally, the first bread from the new harvest is baked for this day. The day is filled with parades and music. An impressive fireworks display is featured in the town of Denube.

One of the solemn tourist attractions in Hungary is the Terror House Museum located in Budapest. The Terror House in Budapest is a museum dedicated to Hungarian victims of terror who were tortured, beaten, killed, or starved by the Nazis in the early 1940's, and the Soviets, until 1956. The Terror House museum reveals, in its many exhibitions, what life was like for Hungarians under both German Nazis and Russian Soviets.

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