Advent is one of the most important periods in the Christian world: it heralds the beginning of the Christmas season. According to the Gregorian calendar, it starts on the fourth Sunday before 25 December. But where does the tradition of the Advent wreath come from, and what is the symbolism that it conveys?
József Mindszenty is often commemorated as one of the first victims of the Rákosi regime. However, his 1949 arrest and show trial were not the last stage of his ‘white martyrdom’: he spent one and a half decades as an asylee at the US Embassy in Budapest, only to be exiled from the country for good in 1971.
Jabotinsky was an old-fashioned nineteenth-century national liberal and a committed democrat, but it is still a matter of debate whether the same can be said of his supporters. The Zionist writer described his early worldview as ‘liberal anarchy’ in which ‘every individual is [worth as much as] a king’. The free market, freedom of the press, equality for women and respect for minority rights were fundamental tenets of his thinking. But there is good reason why there is an intense historiographical debate concerning Jabotinsky’s views.
Cardinal Mindszenty played an important role in the 1956 revolution. He assumed his post as archbishop immediately after his release from captivity, appealed for international aid for Hungary, initiated the process of cleaning the church from Communist infiltration, while also being active in the political life of the country. Firmly holding onto his conservative view of himself as the most important dignitary of Hungary, he tried to set the direction of the course of events. Contrary to the recent myth-busting efforts, this direction was not reactionary or outdated.
Around 3100 BC, the Yamnaya people began to move westwards, migrating from their homeland in modern-day southern Ukraine and Russia. As they reached the Carpathian Basin and the Danube valley, they began transforming the landscape of their newly acquired home, erecting kurgans, that is, burial mounds, for the deceased of higher status. Many of these ancient mounds are still visible in Hungary.
In Hungary, it costs about half as much to get a driver’s licence as in Austria. Since all EU Member States accept each other’s licences as valid, more and more Austrian citizens are coming over to take advantage of the price difference, bringing a lot of business to driving schools in Western Hungary.
Although the unification made the dream of the Romanians come true, the aspirations of Transylvanian Hungarians for self-determination were ignored. The annexation of Transylvania to Romania was finally enshrined by the Treaty of Paris.
As part of the series titled ‘Advent in Buda,’ visitors can expect a vibrant array of activities, including stage performances, handcraft workshops, folk art nativity scenes, exquisite Hungarian culinary delights, candle lighting, and a festive atmosphere.
The 76-year-old former Oscar nominee lauded the Eastern European countries for protecting their borders and actually enforcing their immigration laws, unlike his country of the US.
Because e-scooters are unregulated, it is not even clear whether they can be ridden on public roads or pavements, whether wearing a helmet while riding them is compulsory, or whether the same zero-tolerance alcohol limit applies to e-scooter users as to motorists.
At a press conference in Budapest, producer Tamás Lajos disclosed that there are ongoing negotiations with international streaming services, expressing optimism regarding the film’s success abroad.
The artwork, also known as the Hungarian Mona Lisa, surfaced in 2005 after a century of obscurity but it did not stay in Hungary at that time.
‘What better explains the atrocities committed: coercion or the individual’s capacity or inclination for cruelty? Perhaps both, but to varying proportions.’ Author and historian László Borhi points out in his 2022 book The Strategies of Survival that, in his research, it was not always possible to draw a clear line between the different roles. ‘Several were convicted of collaborating with the Nazis and collaborating in atrocities, while other witnesses claimed that the person in question saved their lives’.
According to information provided by Ágnes Hornung, state secretary responsible for families, this addition will bring the total number of main pillars supporting the Hungarian family support system to four, alongside home creation, financial security, and freedom of choice.
In 1864, Maximilian of Austria arrived in Mexico, assuming the throne of the country. He was declared emperor of Mexico as Maximilian I. Although this was only one, and quite brief, episode in his eventful life, it was the most memorable one, and the one that turned out to be fatal.
Mexico and Hungary are connected not only by their similar flag colours, or their shared love for hot and spicy food. Their histories also intersected multiple times, one example being when a Habsburg archduke briefly ruled the Latin American nation.
The Liget Budapest project is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. To commemorate this, it will have its own exhibition at the Budapest Museum of Ethnography. The museum quarter of the City Park as a whole e attracted 7.5 million visitors so far.
The Roma were the real losers of the fall of communism. With the regime change, most Hungarian Roma, and in fact, many non-Roma Hungarians, lost their livelihoods, as the unskilled jobs they had filled vaporized with the collapse of the outdated and unsustainable industry created under state socialism.
The Western parts of Hungary used constitute the Roman province of Pannonia, a land that served as a buffer zone, a bulwark protecting the Empire from the perils posed by the steppe peoples, especially after the Romans retreated from Dacia.
A couple of years ago, the famous meme ‘Hide the Pain Harold’ used to be among the most widespread on the internet, and even today it still enjoys a decent degree of popularity. This brought the man depicted in the memes, Hungarian-born András István Arató, plenty of publicity, in fact, so much so that the electrical engineer from Kőszeg didn’t know how to handle it at first. Let’s uncover the story behind his unexpected success!
This is the 12th edition of the annual charity fundraising campaign, held by the Hungarian public broadcasting company MTVA. Over the years, it has raised over 2 billion HUF ($5.7 million) for good causes, thanks to the generosity of the Hungarian people.
Tony Abbott, who served as the Prime Minister of Australia between 2013 and 2015, will be joining the line-up of guest lecturers of the Budapest-based think tank the Danube Institute this autumn. He will be giving lectures at events and will be regularly publishing in the print magazine Hungarian Conservative.
Under the scope of the renewed cooperative cultural project, many events will be held in the two countries in the next two years, including theatre performances and the publication of literary translations. Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák of Hungary and Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen-Koržinek of Croatia announced the new agreement at the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts on Monday.
Hungary won their Euro 2024 qualifying group unbeaten and ended the entire year without losing a single game. The National Team gave very little opportunity for the small minority of contrarians, actively rooting against them, to gloat.
Hungary’s geographical location gives it an important role on NATO’s eastern flank and the Alliance is very grateful to Hungary for hosting one of the eight NATO battle groups, Deputy Commander of NATO’s Land Command (LANDCOM) Nicola Zanelli said in an interview with HDF website honvedelem.hu.
Sándor Wekerle was born 175 years ago in 1848. While being one of the most remarkable and enlightened Hungarian politicians of the Compromise era, he was largely exiled from history in the twentieth century.
Magda Szabó is one of the most widely read authors in Hungarian literary history, with her writings translated to dozens of languages. Her perhaps best known work is the 1970 young adult novel Abigail. She passed away 16 years ago today.
French historian René Grousset was the first in the international literature to show an understanding of the Crusade of Andrew II and many more continue to do so today. We do not see the campaign as successful because it was Hungarian, but because it was, in its time, a uniquely well-led, and, in our modern terms, ‘peace-making’ campaign with limited objectives.
Alongside the original copperplate prints by prominent illustrator János Kass, the exhibition will feature the animated film inspired by Madách’s The Tragedy of Man titled Dilemma, one of the earliest computer-generated animations worldwide.
Elizabeth was declared a saint four years after her death. She is often symbolized by a triple crown, which stands for her roles as a member of royalty, as a mother, and as a saint, crowned in heaven. She is the patroness of the Franciscan Third Order and of all Catholic Charities.