Largest Spring Carnival In The Carpathian Basin Attracts Visitors

Mohács plays a special role as a bridge town, connecting Eastern and Western Hungary, Eastern and Western Europe, and creating a link between Southern European and Central European culture, said Péter Hoppál, Government Commissioner, at the main program of the Mohács busójárás on Sunday.

At the largest winter banishing and spring welcoming event in Hungary, the Government Commissioner drew attention to the fact that the character of the municipality as a bridge town is expected to be further strengthened, as the Mohács Danube Bridge will be completed in accordance with the decades-long request of the locals. This “symbol”, he said, will further show how “special and important Mohács is as a city”.

He said that the busó festival in Mohács is a special cultural experience for all those who take part in it every year, as there is no other carnival of this magnitude in Hungary or in the neighboring European countries, and it has deservedly become a World Heritage Site. He affirmed that Hungarians can be proud of the fact that

the nationalities living together in the city have created a unique cultural achievement over the centuries, and that they not only maintain it, but present it to the world at an outstandingly high standard.

In Christian culture, this weekend is about fun and frolic, as in the carnivals in Rio and Venice, but the biggest Hungarian carnival is unique in that it also reflects the pre-Christian tradition of holding a funeral for the season of Winter.

Péter Hoppál drew attention to the fact that next year will be the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács, on the occasion of which a number of developments and programs will be implemented in the city under the coordination of János Hargitai. The government commissioner for the Mohács 500 program said that he is doing a lot to ensure that everything we know and want to show the world about the town is valid, effective and at the same time tastefully Mohács.

After the speech a free carnival started in the town center with the participation of tens of thousands of local residents and visitors.

According to the organizers’ estimates, this year’s festivities running from Thursday to March 4 and offering 100 events in 24 locations will attract around 100,000 people, with 40,000 on the busiest days. There will be 73 busó groups and 2,600 masqueraders in the streets and squares of the city.

The famous carnival established by the Sokac people of Mohács, is first mentioned in a record dating back to 1783. Legend has it that, during the Turkish occupation, their cunning ancestors, who had emigrated from the southern Slavic lands and settled in the area around Mohács, fled from the Turkish occupation to a nearby Island on the other side of the Danube. Dressed in disguises, the Sokac people returned across the river and ambushed the superstitious Turks, who fled the city in terror, terrified by the frightening masquerades.

The traditional elements of winter banishing and spring greeting have remained unchanged for centuries: adults dressed in sheepskin, linen trousers and leather sandals, wearing carved masks were making noise with rattlers and sticks. They bid farewell to winter, because they were looking forward to springtime.

In 2009, busó festival was the first Hungarian tradition that UNESCO added to its representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Via MTI; Featured picture: MTI/Kacsúr Tamás