Growing up in Hungary my favorite holiday was….no, not Christmas. It was Easter. Weird right? We call it the `moving holiday`-since every year Easter falls on a different day and date- is a celebration of the newly-arrived Spring and rebirth. It is not only a family holiday but also a religious one with its many folk traditions. Some are downright bizarre some are delightful reminders of the past.
Cheeky Easter tradition is the sprinkling (`locsolkodás`) on Easter Monday. It used to be a hard core tradition in the old days when young girls were taken to the well and a bucket of water were poured onto them. I still remember the morning – and the trauma- when I was woken up by my father spraying water all over me from a bottle. Happy Easter ladies! These days sprinkling has a more gentle form: boys are using perfumes to sprinkle a tiny drop on the girl`s hair or neck while they are reciting sprinkler poems. As a reward the boys get painted eggs or chocolate. The roots of the sprinkling goes back to Christianity and it is basically a cleansing ritual. The goal is the preserve the beauty and youth of the ladies.
Eggs represent new life and in ancient times they were the symbols of fertility.
Easter egg painting and decorating is a delicate form of art. One can buy chemical dyes to paint the eggs but it may be better to use natural materials like onion or beetroot juice or even turmeric root. The most common color for painting is red representing the color of blood of the sacrificed Christ. The eggs are boiled or blown out and different patterns and motifs will be crafted gently on the shell.
The question is: What would be a Hungarian holiday without scrumptious meals in our belly? Like most Hungarian holidays, Easter also ends with tasty meals on the table. The Lent period lasts for forty days and it ends on the evening of Easter Saturday. Traditional Easter meals are slow-cooked ham with boiled eggs and horseradish, lamb and braided loaf.
When you are born into a tradition like this one you don`t even really think about it.
It just seems natural that the Easter bunny lays painted or chocolate eggs or other goodies in the nicely prepared nests by children. Until you grow older and you realize something is not quite right with this picture. But customs are customs we don`t usually question, just roll with it for the sake of keeping the traditions alive. The are many myths of the egg-laying hare in history but what we know for sure is that eggs and rabbits have been the symbols of springtime and fertility for a long period of time. Hares because they the most fertile mammals and they are the busiest during springtime, if you know what I mean. And eggs because of their role in reproduction.
On Easter Sunday little children are eager to dive into the Easter egg hunt in search for eggs, sweets and toys. And the Santa Claus of Easter aka the Easter bunny quietly leaves his scene of act with a freshly picked carrot.
Easter Sunday and Monday are both public holidays in Hungary.
There are many Spring markets, festivals and events to see around and outside of the city.