There used to be numerous folk customs in Hungary during Advent, the preparation period preceding the Christmas holidays, some of which have even survived to this day. These traditions were mostly common in the rural areas. We have collected a few of these traditions to better know how the four-week preparation period was and is celebrated in Hungary.
Day of Andrew
The Christmas season in Hungary begins on November 30th with the feast of St. Andrew, held on the anniversary of the saint’s death. Several folk customs and traditions are associated with this feast, many of which are still alive today. During this time, weddings and other loud celebrations were forbidden, as one prepared both physically and mentally for the Christmas season.
Marriages were predicted on St. Andrew’s Day: according to the custom, girls got married after as many years as many times the pig grunted after entering the pigsty. In addition, it was also said that the one they marry would come from the direction where one heard dogs barking when standing on a hill. St. Andrew’s day was also the start of the pig slaughters, as the weather was cool enough for it at the end of November. The season of pig slaughter festivals lasted until Farsang, the carnival season.
Advent Season
The word Advent has a Latin origin and has been celebrated in the Christian world since the fifth century. It begins on the eve of the first Sunday in Advent and lasts until Christmas. During this time, weddings and other celebrations were not allowed, but various folk customs and superstitions were still associated with Advent. From the superstitions, one that is especially worth mentioning is the magic of love: if a girl of a marriageable age tore off three pieces of the bell rope in the church the morning before the Holy Mass, and wore them on her headband, then she could expect to get married during the carnival season.
The ritual of the “The Holy Family seeking shelter” is repeated for nine consecutive days before Christmas. In honor of the Holy Family, nine families come together to alternately host the image depicting the Holy Family and pray from December 15th until Christmas Eve.
The Rorate is also part of Hungarian customs. During Advent, a Holy Mass is held every dawn from the first Sunday until Christmas Day. According to superstition, during the Rorate, witches went around in the town (in fear of the church bells) casting bed spells on houses left open, which is why the stables and houses had to be locked before the church bells began to ring.
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