All About Easter in Hungary

Kellemes Húsvéti Ünnepeket

Happy Easter———-Kellemes Húsvéti Ünnepeket

Today is Good Friday, celebrated all over the world. Every country has their own way of celebrating Easter and Hungary is no exception.

Good Friday: Good Friday is the day of remembrance for the crucifixion of Jesus, the time of the greatest fasting and mourning. Hungarians eat lightly on this day usually fish.

Holy Saturday: On Easter Saturday, baskets are taken to church to be blessed. Baskets of bread, salt, eggs, sausage and a cake designed as an Easter lamb. The basket includes a bottle of pálinka (Hungarian traditional fruit brandy). Then, they’re given back to the children for their family feast on Easter Sunday. 

Easter Sunday: With Catholicism being the main religion of Hungary, many locals tend to spend part of the holy day at church and with their families. Then onto the Hungarian Easter meal which is a truly wonderful feast. Tables are laid with eggs, meats, hams and traditionally served with horseradish. Easter is not complete without the sweet braided bread known as kalács. This delicious brioche style bread is made with milk and cream and marries very well with butter or jam.

For children, Easter in Hungary is about bunnies and colourful eggs. The children of Hungary often receive Easter baskets as gifts and have Easter Egg Hunts.

Hungarians love to show off their egg decorating skills, known as ‘shoeing’. This is an old decorating technique said to have originated in a village of blacksmiths. Eggs all over Hungary are decorated with intricate designs using the floral patterns of the traditional Hungarian embroidery. 

I had never heard of this Hungarian Easter tradition known as “sprinkling” dating back to pagan times. Traditionally, boys threw buckets of water over willing girls or sprinkled their hair with perfume, the boys recited poems, the girls gave the boys gifts, typically a shot of pálinka, Hungary’s potent brandy, typically these things are part of a ceremony. “Sprinkling” signifies great fertility and cleansing rites. This tradition is still performed today.

This is the way Hungarians spend Easter, do you have particular traditions at Easter, Hungarian or not, I would love to hear them in the comments below.

Here’s wishing you ALL a very Happy Easter wherever you are in the world and however you celebrate, I hope you have a good one. Stay well and stay safe.

Kellemes Húsvéti Ünnepeket