Vadrózsa Dance Ensemble is the most prominent non-professional folk dance ensemble in Hungary. With 40 dancers and five musicians, the main mission of their American tour, which included five stops (New York, Washington, DC, Cleveland, Boston, and New Brunswick) was to showcase the diversity and virtuosity of the Carpathian Basin’s folklore through a fresh, youthful approach.
The Tamási Thermal Spa, heavily damaged by fire three years ago, is set for a major restoration, funded by nearly 5 billion forints in government support. The extensive renovation, scheduled to conclude by autumn 2025, will bring state-of-the-art upgrades to the spa.
A Hungarian-led research team has launched the Geoastronomy project, supported by the European Research Council, to explore the composition and atmospheres of rocky exoplanets orbiting Sun-like stars. This six-year initiative aims to expand our understanding of both these distant worlds and our own planet.
The GraphicPécs international graphic arts festival returns to Pécs from 7 November to 25 January, offering exhibitions, professional talks, book launches, and roundtable discussions, all celebrating the dynamic intersections of music, visual art, and underground culture.
‘While the exponential growth of AI heightens immediate concerns about meeting energy demand, green energy ambitions must be evaluated through the lens of feasibility, affordability, and reliability…Because demand is ever-increasing, policy makers must take a pragmatic approach, encouraging supply and production expansion across every fuel type, wherever practical.’
During the University of Szeged’s Innovation Day, Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó underscored the responsibility of scientists to convey their findings to the public, inspire the youth, and foster acceptance of scientific advancements, highlighting the crucial role of resilience and collaborative partnerships in research.
Researchers from the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) have achieved a pioneering milestone by successfully growing viable mustard plants in a lunar soil simulation. This world-first result includes three viable seeds, setting a new standard in plant growth for future space agriculture.
Renovations at the Hungaroring are well underway following the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, with a budget of 78.9 billion forints aimed at extensive upgrades. These include refurbishing the main grandstand and paddock, constructing two new tunnels for improved access, and ensuring a cutting-edge facility for racing enthusiasts by 2026.
An election night in Budapest: Hungarian conservatives gathered in anticipation of a Trump victory at an event hosted by MCC and the Center for Fundamental Rights on 5 November. There were serious panel discussions with experts, but also plenty of fun, chatting, drinks and food, with attendees keeping their fingers crossed for the candidate on the right side of history.
‘Linguistic–ethnic nationalism is the quintessential negative (in Joó’s parlance, “imperialist”) nationalism, a nationalism insensitive to qualitative differences or to more elevated spiritual concepts of the state, such as the unifying “Hungarus consciousness” of the nomadic empire’s supranationalism, which derives from the dynasty’s divinely-derived spiritual unifying power.’
Real estate developer and reality TV show star Donald Trump was given very little chance by mainstream journalists and pollsters in 2016. However, by focusing on illegal immigration and standing up against the new ‘woke’ PC activists at the time, he managed to pull off one of the greatest upset victories in a presidential election in American history.
Cinema City’s Film Festival, running from 7 to 10 November in Budapest and regional multiplexes, promises a lineup of premieres, discounted tickets, Hungarian films, and exclusive meet-and-greets. Audiences can enjoy newly released blockbusters alongside domestic cinematic highlights and film club discussions.
The European Commission’s aviation safety agency EASA’s conference was hosted in Budapest, Hungary under the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The emphasis was placed on the essential impact of human factors in ensuring safe operations at the event; as well as the aviation industry’s long-term challenges, such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
On 4 November Soviet tanks rolled into the country, sealing the fate of the glorious 1956 Revolution and Freedom Fight. Hungary’s National Day of Mourning, instituted by the second Orbán government and observed nationwide, commemorates the crushing of the uprising, honouring the heroes who fought against the Communist regime and Soviet occupation.
In an unusual oversight, Hungary was left off the map in a geography textbook designed for fourth-grade students in Italy. Discovered by gyerekszoba.hu, the Noi Supereroi 2030 textbook instead shows Romania sharing borders with Austria and Slovenia—a puzzling omission still awaiting publisher response.
The Hungarian Science Festival, hosted by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, begins this Monday with an expansive month-long programme. The Hungarian Science Festival has been held since 2003, commencing on 3 November with the Day of Hungarian Science, commemorating Count István Széchenyi’s donation of a year’s income from his estates in 1825 to establish the Learned Society, the precursor of today’s Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
According to the OIDAC’s 2022/2023 report, there was a 44 per cent increase in crimes against Christians in those two years. In 2022, OIDAC documented as many as 749 anti-Christian hate crimes. The report points out that there is a reasonable probability that the actual numbers are higher, due to limited reporting as a result of the crimes’ chilling effect on victims, and the lack of media coverage. OIDAC found that Christian converts of Muslim origin are particularly vulnerable to violence.
István Haller was a prominent Hungarian Christian politician in the first half of the 20th century. His book summing up his views on Christian politics is apparently paradoxical—it is both Christian-inspired and antisemitic. This combination illustrates the troubling tension that burdened the Christian national politics of the Horthy era in Hungary.
An American sailor of Hungarian origin served on the Coral Sea, perhaps as a helmsman. He was probably the one to come up with the idea that the money originally collected for the crew’s Christmas presents be given to Hungarian refugees instead, and a total of 7,500 US dollars were thus donated to the refugee aid fund. It may have been the same serviceman to suggest that the crew form the message ‘May God help you’ in Hungarian on the deck. Unfortunately, the name and story of the Hungarian American sailor remain unknown.
‘We aim to draft a manifesto that sheds light on an alternative kind of capitalism—primarily beneficial for domestic business circles—which we refer to as “inclusive capitalism”. It is important to emphasize that our goal is not solely to outline inclusive capitalism but to formulate what we term “capitalism alternatives”.’
In recent years the real estate market in Budapest has seen dramatic price increases. The price of newly built flats rose by 13.9 per cent within a year, reaching an average of 3,260 euros per square metre in 2023. Rental prices have also continuously risen: the average monthly rent per square metre increased to 11.3 euros, further exacerbating young people’s housing difficulties. Purchasing an average new build property in Budapest requires 10.4 years of gross average earnings, placing the city in the middle range in European comparison.
Esteban Vajda Széchenyi, born in 1923 as István Vajda in Nagykőrös, Hungary, was a prominent member of the Villa Rica community in the Central Jungle of Peru. Although he found a new home in the South American country, he preserved his Hungarian heritage throughout his life, and passed it on to his children and grandchildren as well.
The city, county, and military leadership got together in Székesfehérvár, Hungary to pay their respects to the fallen men and women of the Hungarian Defence Forces on All Saints’ Day, 1 November. Multiple wreath-laying ceremonies took place in different locations across the city on this solemn day.
‘The significance of All Saints’ Day extends beyond the flickering candle flames in cemeteries; it is a time for reflection—reflecting on our lives and remembering not only our departed loved ones but also the saints whom we may overlook at other times. It is an opportunity to seek their guidance during periods of trial and challenge, which is extremely important in our times.’
The Museum of Ethnography is set to present a special musical–literary programme series in collaboration with the band Anima Sound System this November and December. Featuring Zsolt Prieger and folk singer Bori Magyar, the performances promise a unique cultural experience that brings Szekler heritage and Hungarian folk stories to life for audiences of all ages.
The atrium of the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, Belgium, the old headquarters of the Council, is hosting an exhibition of great Hungarian inventions in honour of the Hungarian presidency. The items on display include Ányos Jedlik’s dynamo, Dávid Schwarz’s airship, and, of course, Ernő Rubik’s Rubik’s Cube.
Hungary’s largest-ever village tree planting initiative, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, has reached a new milestone as 6,000 trees are to be planted this autumn across 317 communities. With 56,000 trees planted since 2020, the project aims to boost Hungary’s green areas and support climate resilience.
From 29 November to 1 December, Art Weekend Budapest will bring art lovers on guided tours through more than thirty venues across the city, with a central theme exploring movement and motion. Free 15-20 minute exhibitions and talks await visitors along multiple daily routes, all marking the opening of Advent with creativity.
Protestants played an irreplaceable role in the formation of Hungarian literary language, as well as in the renewal of the language. It is no coincidence that Ferenc Kölcsey, who wrote the Hungarian National Anthem in 1823, was a student at the Reformed College in Debrecen for many years, just as it is no accident that it was in the same Debrecen, known as the Calvinist Rome, that the Hungarian National Assembly—headed by Lajos Kossuth, who hailed from a Lutheran small noble family—proclaimed the dethronement of the House of Habsburg on 14 April 1849.
On the eve of Reformation Day we are publishing the last instalment of our eight-part series on how the garments worn by Calvinist pastors evolved over the past five hundred years. Part VIII looks at the types of garments worn by Protestant ministers between the interwar period and the present day.