While the Christmas traditions of the Pilis Swabians have evolved and changed over the years, they have been largely preserved, and the spirit of the German Hungarian settlers is still alive, allowing the locals to honour their ancestral heritage at this time of year.
Music is an inalienable part of celebrations, and it is no different at Christmas. But what do Hungarians listen to and sing on this special holiday? We have collected the top classics for you in our article.
The first references to fisherman’s soup date back to the 1800s. Soon, fisherman’s soup became popular across the country, prepared with different fishes based on various recipes, but the fundamentals remained the same everywhere. The name ‘fisherman’s soup’ is owed to those fishermen who, lacking kitchen tools, prepared this now widely popular dish far from their homes on the shores of lakes or rivers.
The First World War is known as the first dreadful and devastating armed conflict that engulfed almost the entire world. However, a chain of events during the December of 1914, known as the ‘Christmas truce’, showed that humanity and brotherly love could prevail over the senseless killing, if only for a brief time.
In the West, there are a number of remarkable, colourful traditions linked to Christmas that vary from country to country. But what cannot be missing from any home where Christmas is celebrated is a decorated pine tree.
A short Christmas tale about an angel, pine trees, sore muscles, and joy.
The best-known Hungarian language youth novel, The Paul Street Boys, written by Ferenc Molnár, was first publish in 1907 and it has enjoyed unbroken popularity ever since.
The second half of the 17th century was a time of great hardships for Protestants: Protestant church history calls the years between 1671 and 1681 the ‘decade of mourning’. Thanks to some illustrated works by pastors freed from galley slavery, however, we can get some idea of what the preachers wore in those days.
Bejgli, the mouth-watering poppy seed pastry, is one of the most favourite Christmas delicacies in Hungary.
Serbia’s geopolitical destiny seems preordained. Encircled by NATO and EU nations and deeply intertwined economically with Europe, Serbia is experiencing a constant drift toward the West while remaining nominally neutral. It is his ability to facilitate this complex and domestically controversial process that makes Vučić so valued by Washington and Brussels.
In this article, historian László Bernát Veszprémy recounts the story of three Israeli prime ministers who resigned as a result of military debacles that happened under their leadership.
The press release by the US DOS claimed that the newly established Sovereignty Protection Office of Hungary is a tool ‘that can be used to intimidate and punish those with views not shared by the ruling party’ and therefore it is ‘inconsistent with our shared values of democracy’. In response, PM Orbán stated that the US government should stop lecturing Hungary.
Hungarian dog breeds are among the most special dog breeds in the world with their outstanding intelligence, strength, rich spirituality and work ethic. Large, international events offer a great opportunity to shed light and distinguished attention on them. Their growing popularity on the American continent can greatly contribute to the increase in their numbers and recognition throughout the world.
The Roman Catholic Church’s charity organization, Caritas Hungary has provided some four million forints in aid to the families affected by a tragic boarding school accident in Székelyudvarhely (Odorheiu Secuisesc) in Transylvania. Caritas has also launched a donation drive to further help the victims of the accident.
At the year-end press conference, PM Orbán explained why he chose to veto the €50 billion aid package to Ukraine at the recent EU Summit, how he views the potential Ukrainian and Swedish NATO accession, and what he believes the biggest struggles of 2023 were. He also talked about what hopes he has for the new year of 2024.
In this interview, world-famous Hungarian American physicist Albert-László Barabási shared his thoughts about the Covid pandemic, the relationship between art and science, Székely stubbornness and curiosity.
The Cleveland Regös Group, founded in 1973 by Magdi Keresztes Temesváry and her husband András, has had more than 400 members in 50 years. It is made up of local scout leaders above 14 years of age who lead their 6–14 year old scouts every Friday, while on Tuesdays learn and practice Hungarian folk dances and folk traditions including an Easter fertility ritual, setting up a maypole in May, and singing carols at Christmas. They also carry out regular ethnographic research and collections, organize camps every summer and once in every five years complete a three-week long trip to Hungary and the Carpathian Basin.
On 18 December, a release ceremony was held for the Hungarian troops of the EUFOR Althea mission. From January 2024, the EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be led by a Hungarian commander, Major General László Stitz.
In a 4–3 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former POTUS Donald Trump’s name cannot appear on the ballot for the Republican primary election in the state in March, as, according to their interpretation, he engaged in an insurrection in January 2021. The Trump campaign has already announced that they would appeal to the US Supreme Court; and Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó has denounced the decision.
An interview about rich family legacies, a sense of duty to serve the Hungarian diaspora in North America, and support for the institutions of the Reformed Church in Transylvania.
The planned new route is set to connect the city of Zalaegerszeg to the M7 Motorway by converting Route M76 into a 2X2-lane new motorway section.
Imre Zsellér, a prolific artist, decorated hundreds of churches and public buildings across the Kingdom of Hungary with his extraordinary stained glass and mosaic creations.
State Secretary for International Communication and Relations Zoltán Kovács also met with the Israeli Hungarian hostages’ relatives and wrote in his Facebook post: ‘No “context” needed—just release the hostages!’. The State Secretary’s post reacted to the outrageous responses of the presidents of America’s most prestigious universities, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, to the question posed by Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik whether calling for the genocide of Jews went against the universities’ code of conduct. All three presidents answered that it depended ‘on the context’.
US First Lady Jill Biden celebrated the upcoming festive season by posting a video of a New York City-based, mostly black tapdancing group in odd costumes awkwardly dancing to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. Many people voiced their discontent online over the weird display.
The base interest rate has been cut for the third consecutive time, something that has not happened since 2020. These developments will greatly help eople who are looking to take out a mortgage, a business loan, or invest some money in stocks listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange.
After the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, all large Russian opposition media outlets were forced to leave the country. Notwithstanding their dire situation, some of them could nonetheless retain a significant chunk of their former readership, which equals millions. Regrettably, judging by how they portray Hungary, responsible journalism is not their strength.
At the handover ceremony Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky stressed that the new 2A7HU tanks, which are among the most modern globally, ‘represent a whole new world, even compared to the A4s, and are more modern than those used by the German forces.’
The booklet takes an in-depth look at the European phenomenon of migration, from the number of border crossings and the attitudes of the Hungarian society towards immigration to the V4 and their stance on migration. It also delves into the situation Mediterranean EU Member States find themselves in the current crisis, as well as the role of Turkey in tackling the migration waves and the security challenges posed by them.
In several countries of the European Union, the concept of referendums linked to the enlargement of the Union is well known. In 2016, the Netherlands held a referendum on the adoption of the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. The majority of voters rejected the agreement, but as it was only an advisory referendum, so the result did not ultimately bind the Dutch government. France’s constitution requires a referendum to be held before any future EU enlargement. I see no reason why Hungary should not be the next country to have such a plebiscite.
Four Transylvanian friends dared to dream big and founded a sparkling winery in a small village in northern Transylvania a decade ago. This year, their Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine was recognized with a world championship title at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships.