In Reform Era Hungary, on Easter Monday in the countryside maidens would be grabbed by boys, dragged to the nearest river and ‘dipped’ in it. If there was no river nearby, they would be taken to wells, laid in troughs and doused with cold water. On more than one occasion the poor girls would get a stroke from the cold water or die of pneumonia a few days later.
‘As we look back on this long and eventful journey, we commemorate those who were here before us, who led the way for our community, who dedicated their time, energy, and love to keep this Hungarian club alive for future generations. These individuals have left a lasting mark. Today, we pay tribute to them and to all unknown heroes, who made it possible for us to gather here and continue the work they started’, former club president Mózes Kovács said in his keynote speech at the anniversary celebrations.
‘In the Britain that is now, just like in every other Western country that has accepted indiscriminate mass immigration from countries with Islamic values, it has become normal to celebrate murder, rape, and terrorism, so long as Israeli Jews are the ones being terrorized.’
The Kossuth Foundation, the organiser of the 20 August event, joined the ‘Bread of Hungarians’ programme this year, through which wheat from various parts of the Carpathian Basin made their way to the American capital, symbolising the unity of Hungarians wherever they live.
St Ivan’s Night has always been considered magical by the Nordic and Slavic peoples, but it has special folk traditions linked to it in Hungary as well. Various practices are employed during this time, which are related to healing, purification, love, and fertility.
The four-day Hollókő Easter Festival includes folk programs, Palóc cuisine, bucket-dumping water fights, Kerekes Band and Parno Graszt concerts, as well as children’s programmes.
This year, 15 March falls on a Wednesday, and programmes have been put together accordingly. On 14 March, the Kossuth and Széchenyi Awards will be presented. On the day of the celebration the next day, the national flag will be raised in the morning as usual.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.