Rarely has a single year carried such profound implications for global security and the future as the one that lies ahead. With conflicts erupting across the globe, the foundations of the international order are being relentlessly tested. Compounding
these challenges, 2024 is marked by the impending presidential elections in two formidable and opposing powers, the United States and Russia. Similar gravity can be attributed to the European Parliament elections scheduled for the same year, where a realistic opportunity exists for the reinforcement of right-leaning forces.

Tamás Lánczi, the head of the new office appointed by the Prime Minister, outlined the body’s fundamental role in analysis and disclosure, with transparency being its paramount tool. The office carries out inquiries and collaborates with other state entities. Also, upon detecting irregularities, it publicly discloses them while informing the relevant authorities.

‘Given these numerous negative trends, it is clear that 2024 stands as a do-or-die moment for European leaders and policymakers to save and turn around the European Union. Achieving such will require making painful decisions. In the short term, the most immediate, visible, and pressing among these is addressing the migrant crisis, including the reality that many migrants, refugees, and illegal immigrants are taking advantage of Europe’s over-generous welfare state.’

The proprietary coating by Resysten, which is invisible, colourless, and odourless, provides protection between cleaning intervals, ensuring the well-being of passengers and the company’s employees even during busy festive periods.

‘There should be no compromise against Hungarian conservative values, no infighting, no seeking of extraneous wealth. Christianity must be first, and only real Christians (be they Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox) should run a government. Furthermore, a thorough test of character must be placed on people in positions of leadership before they can start their mandate, so they are not compromised. Leadership should be interested in Biblical principles.’

“For all the trials the Christians have endured—from famine during the Ottoman Empire to British bombardment during World War I and the rule of Hamas—the potential future for our Christian brethren in the Holy Land after the war is eventually over seems bleak.’

In her speech, President Novák of Hungary recalled the most memorable events of 2023, a year ‘when there was reason to rejoice, to be proud,’ including Pope Francis’s visit to Budapest, the Nobel Prize awarded to Katalin Karikó and Ferenc Krausz, the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, and the Hungarian national football team’s qualification as group winners for the European Championship.

56-year-old Ilan Weisz, a father of three, was possibly held hostage for nearly three months, as authorities did not discover his body for an extended period of time.

Mrs Ilonka Szedlák is one of the last few people in Hungary who understand and speak the language of bells.

Building on the hard-earned trust of our readers, we are planning on introducing even more interactive and focused content in 2024—from evolving regional and global geopolitical dynamics to the European parliamentary and US elections, there’s much to explore in the coming year. 

The consumption of lentils at midnight on New Year’s Eve or on the first day of the New Year is one of the most widespread Hungarian customs. According to tradition, each lentil symbolizes a coin. Those who partake in lentils on the first day of the New Year are believed to have a full wallet throughout the entire year.

While political festivals are not unique per se, there is something unique about how the Hungarian right organizes its gatherings. Their continuing success is not due to populist chauvinism, or to making them mere echo chambers. In fact, plenty of world views, including opposition voices highly critical of the Orbán administration, clashed on stage in front of captivated audiences many times this summer.

Gábor Nagy, winner of international awards, started to grow chili peppers twelve years ago for fun, prompted by a habanero. An interview about re-learning the concept of hot.

Charles I, Emperor of Austria, was crowned king of Hungary as Charles IV on 30 December 1916, after his father, Emperor and King Francis Joseph passed away on 21 November. His inauguration ceremony was the last public showcasing of the historical splendour of the Hungarian monarchy.

On Christmas Eve in 1944 the Soviet troops encircled Budapest, and the siege commenced a few days later, on 30 December. The fighting that went on for months caused enormous suffering and destruction, and became part of Hungary’s collective memory forever.

What started as a little bit of mischief by the young cadets in the US’s elite military academy West Point turned into a full-on mutiny. On the instigation of future Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the young military men snuck loads of alcohol into their barracks for a Christmas party in 1826—things got way out of hand fast…

The Hungarian Prime Minister’s chief security advisor György Bakondi talked to the Hungarian television TV2, and explained why Hungary is not willing to comply with what is included in the European Union’s migration pact.

Under the scope of the Union’s REPowerEU programme, €779.5 billion have been transferred to Budapest and the amount is now included in the government budget, Finance Minister Mihály Varga announced today. According to Minister for Regional Development Tibor Navracsics, an additional €445 million will also arrive from Brussels soon.

‘The divisions inside the conservative movement are less over what should be done, and more over how far we might go, and the right answer is always as far as possible. In a democracy, the path to political success is always practical: for us, that means identifying the problems that worry people most and finding credible and pragmatic ways to make change for the better.’

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration ahead of Christmas which proclaims that the Catholic Church is now allowing for the informal blessings of ‘couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples’. Despite Cardinal Fernández, head of the Dicastery, insisting that this does not change the Church’s traditional view on marriage, it still resulted in statements indirectly criticizing the declaration by bishops all around the world, including Hungary.

BYD, the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China is opening a new factory in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has called it ‘one of the biggest investment projects in Hungary’s history’.

In his year-in-review interview with the Hungarian sports daily Nemzeti Sport, the Prime Minister has also made the claim that ‘the time has come when Budapest cannot further develop to any great degree without the Olympics.’

Recent high precipitation has caused river levels to rise all across the country. In Budapest, the Danube is expected to rise above the level of the embankment on Thursday. Preparations and warnings are in place in other parts of the country as well.

The tragic fate and bravery of Gusztáv Jány, Commander of the Hungarian Second Army, mirror those of his troops, and, in many ways, of Hungary itself.

‘What should Hungarians do? The question—and Orbán’s visionary answer—has meaning beyond Hungary, in ways that Americans and other Westerners only dimly recognize now. And it goes back to the prime minister’s 2014 advocacy of “illiberal democracy” for Hungary.’

The MagosVölgy Ecological Farm in Terény, Nógrád County, produces
gorgeous vegetables from February to December for the 500-strong community around it.

Boxing Day football is a tradition in England that goes all the way back to the 19th century. A handful of Hungarian footballers have had the chance to participate in it in the modern, Premier League era. They include Crystal Palace goalkeeper Gábor Király, and West Brom and Fulham midfielder Zoltán Gera. This Christmas, we get to root for Dominik Szoboszlai at Liverpool and Milos Kerkez at Bournemouth.

The famous matyó embroidery is reinterpreted in the Matyodesign studio in Tard.

The loneliness and silence of the Danube Bend in the winter is difficult to describe. Pictures convey the story of the river and the mountains—beyond words.

Why not surprise your family with a truly Hungarian dish this winter? Learn more about Hungary’s number one Christmas gastronomic delight, stuffed cabbage rolls and test your cooking skills!