‘On Christmas day in 1944 Hungary, illusion and reality collided. The promise of “liberation” or “redemption” was drowned out by violence, coercion, and fear on all sides. What survives of that Christmas are the testimonies, the fragmentary voices that reveal how ordinary lives were crushed between two brutal systems at the very moment meant for peace.’

The December issue of the National Film Institute’s series has been published, presenting the most important events captured on film in December 1925, including the record amount of snow that fell on Budapest a hundred years ago.

Jesus is the Christ in the flesh, the Son of God who became the saviour of mankind. This is what the Holy Scriptures say about him, and they also affirm that through Mary he became a blood descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah and the line of King David. Thus, as an ethnically Jewish man, he fulfilled the Law and died for our sins.

Since Hungary is a landlocked nation in the heart of Europe, some of these Christmas traditions might be found in other countries.

It has become a tradition to hold an outdoor exhibition at Várkert Bazaar during Advent, which is in some way connected to the festive season. This year, a poster exhibition, evoking the atmosphere of winter celebrations in the communist era of the 1970s and 1980s, has been on display in Várkert Bazaar under the title The World of Retro Winters.

While shooting scenes for his new film, Alone at Dawn, in Budapest, Hungary, Oscar-nominated actor Adam Driver visited a concert at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in his spare time. While this took place in November, the Academy did not share it until a few days ago.

Once symbols of festive calm and Christian heritage, Western Europe’s Christmas markets have increasingly become targets of Islamist terror since the early 2000s. From Strasbourg to Berlin and Magdeburg, repeated attacks and foiled plots have reshaped how Europe celebrates Christmas—forcing heavy security, cancellations and a growing sense of fear.

‘Christmas markets were more than commercial centres; they granted place for charitable acts, such as donations for nurseries and children’s shelters.’

‘It is a fact that if there are enigmatic figures in 20th-century Hungarian history, Kálmán Rátz is certainly among them.’

‘The American Republic in the first half of the 19th century gradually drifted away from the Founders’ original vision and embarked on the path of modern mass democracy. The final result of this, paradoxically, became exactly what the Founders had feared…The Jacksonian rejection of the principle of hierarchy led not to the fulfilment of freedom, but to the rise of a new, faceless form of tyranny.’

Budapest is set to strengthen its green public transport network after the city transport authority secured EU funding for 38 modern trolleybuses, a move that supports fleet renewal, network expansion and long-term sustainability goals in the Hungarian capital.

Hungarian cinema enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2025, as films backed by the National Film Institute passed two billion forints in box-office revenue and drew more than one million viewers, while winning dozens of international awards and boosting the global profile of Hungarian filmmaking.

About two weeks after political podcaster Tim Pool claimed shots were fired at his rural West Virginia residence, the local police still cannot confirm if the incident actually took place as described. Many questions linger about the incident, with multiple twists and turns in the updates.

The Harlem Globetrotters, the world-famous American basketball show team, will return to Hungary in 2026 as part of their centenary world tour, performing in Veszprém, Szeged, and Budapest with their trademark mix of sport, humour, and spectacle.

‘Rubio has ordered that all official communications of the US government must no longer be set in Calibri but revert to Times New Roman.’

Buying a real Christmas tree is more environmentally friendly than choosing an artificial one, according to a researcher at Hungary’s Ecological Research Centre, who highlights the benefits of locally grown trees and the long-term environmental costs of plastic alternatives.

Hungary believes that flexibility, technological neutrality and regulatory predictability are essential for environmental policy if Europe is to remain competitive, the country’s environment state secretary said in Brussels amid renewed EU debates on green regulation.

‘The speaker pointed out that the city of Budapest, where the event was taking place, withstood the oppressions of the Mongols, the Ottomans, the Nazis, and the Soviets, yet it remained committed to its Western values. He then likened those oppressions to those coming from the EU, which, he believes, is working to suppress national identity and nationalist and conservative sentiments.’

The University of Debrecen has awarded research astronaut Tibor Kapu an honorary associate professorship, recognizing his contribution to space-based plant research and his role in carrying out experiments developed by the university aboard the International Space Station.

‘With Donald Trump taking office as US president, a whole new era began in Hungarian–American relations, which is also reflected in trade and investment volumes.’

Talent is one of Hungary’s most valuable resources, and how it is identified and nurtured is a shared responsibility, a local MP said at the opening of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s new training centre in Szolnok, highlighting the city’s growing role in talent development.

‘Christianity gave birth to the continent’s moral imagination, legal systems, and cultural achievements. To strip schools of this heritage is not neutrality; it is amnesia.’

‘Sharabi’s story is one of profound physical and psychological suffering—hunger, loneliness, helplessness—but also of resilience, endurance, and the quiet, repeated choice to stay alive. His memoir bears witness to the bonds formed between hostages, the moments of grace that sustained them, and the inner strength that carried him through.’

‘Although Hungarian emigration to the U.S. has been widely researched, far less attention has been given to the hundreds of thousands who, after spending years abroad…eventually came back to Hungary. The program aims to highlight this lesser-known heritage and call attention to the rich family archives, documents, and memories that still exist but remain unexplored.’

‘The military events had varying outcomes, but in a series of battles that tended to favour the Ottomans, the victory at Szabács was of great significance, which was further enhanced by subsequent developments. The siege of the castle also foreshadowed the change in military tactics that would become common throughout Europe in the following decades.’

‘The issue of language doesn’t end with the culture war, it’s relevant across every level of issues and ideological questions.’

‘While the saint who gave the mid-December celebration its name is known for her kindness and benevolence, in folklore the day is nevertheless more closely associated with evil—and with its female agents: witches.’

Hungary has already broken its 2024 tourism record, welcoming over 18.2 million guests by 2 December. With balanced domestic and international visitor numbers, Budapest and Lake Balaton remain top destinations, and strong holiday-season bookings point to another successful year ahead, Visit Hungary has shared.

At a joint event organized by MCC and Mandiner, Former President of Hungary János Áder introduced his new book summarizing a decade in office through interviews that revisit constitutional dilemmas, national commemorations and private memories—from the Auschwitz memorial to the Trianon centenary speech and encounters with Hungarian communities abroad.

Ferencváros came back against the Scottish side Rangers, beating them 2–1 at home. With that victory, not only did they keep their unbeaten record in the Europa League campaign, but they also secured their spot in the knock-out stage of the competition next spring.