Carnival tradition

In Hungary, the carnival period lasts from the Epiphany to the beginning of the 40-day fast before Easter Sunday, i.e. until Meatless Wednesday or Ash Wednesday. The last three days are the "tail of carnival", or "Little Carnival", a time of unbridled joy and revelry, ending with Lent.

Carnival is also a symbolic representation of the struggle between winter and spring, a farewell to winter and a celebration of the anticipation of spring. It is a time of great eating and drinking, a symbolic way of encouraging nature to be abundant.

THE SPECIAL DAYS OF CARNIVAL:

• 6 January - Epiphany : the last day of the twelfth of Christmas
• 22 January - Vince's Day : a day of harvest - "When Vince rings, the cellar will be full."
• 2 February - the day of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary - is now only a religious holiday, but people also used to think of it as a day of divination.

According to its origin, the candle is a symbol of our human nature, and we consecrate candles so that the divine Light may flow out and fill us. According to popular tradition, the candle was lit next to the newborn baby until baptism, so that the "heathen" would not be replaced by evil spirits. When the young mother went to church for the first time, she also carried a candle in her hand.   

• 3 February - Balázs Day : candles and apples were dedicated and used to cure children's sore throats. The tradition of balázs is still alive today.
• 12 March - St. Gregory's Day : the end of the school winter period, when pupils collect donations for the teacher and the school. The purpose of the Gregorian procession was initially to recruit schoolchildren. Pope Gregory's Day was the start of the school year. The function of the procession to recruit children to school became more formalised over time, but its playful, fund-raising character remained.

Carnival was the time of choosing a mate and an important "wedding season", when most weddings were held throughout the year, and during the Easter fasting period, weddings were forbidden. This custom is a reference to the Gospel wedding at Cana. 

Carnival traditions also signal the approach of spring. These include the cremation, the buso procession, the winter funeral - which symbolized the end of winter and, symbolically, the banishment of darkness. The custom of burying the dead at the end of carnival and waiting for spring is manifested differently in different regions.

What was actually eaten at the old carnival feasts, whether there were dishes prepared exclusively for this celebration - unfortunately, there are not many records. What is certain is that they ate a lot and a variety of food, as they hoped that the abundance of food would provide them with plenty for the coming year. It is also certain that doughnuts, which were thought to have magical powers, were a typical Carnival dish.

Hungary's most famous carnival event is the "busójárás", a carnival folk tradition from Mohács, originally a Socacian folk tradition.

The busó procession belongs to the family of winter farewell, spring greeting, protection and fertility magic festivals found in the lore of other peoples. It is as much related to the carnivals of Rio and Venice as to those of African peoples.

It may have been an exciting time for carnivals, but the world has changed a lot.

Today I'm mainly waiting for spring in the garden, preparing the seedlings and the soil for spring planting. For me, it's heartwarming. I also feel in my guts that spring is coming, that nature is awakening...