HOLIDAYS & SUPERSTITIONS

There are countless holidays and celebrations in people’s lives, which are part
of our culture or history. These feasts can be put in different groups. We know
about religious feasts, national feasts and private (or family) feasts
Let’s begin with family celebrations. These are the feasts which differ from
each other excessively. This group includes name days, birthdays and
anniversaries. Everyone celebrates these days differently, because they are
private. In my opinion, from this list name day is the most futile, because I don’t
think it is relevant to celebrate one’s name. In the long run, a person’s name
depended on the parents’ decision at the moment of birth. Still, a lot of people
find it essential, and they give presents, prepare big meals, and invite relatives
to celebrate together.
Birthdays are more important. This is the day when we celebrate that someone
was born, and became older within one year. Families usually have big family
dinners with a lot of relatives, they give presents to the celebrated, they drink a
toast of him/her and they have an immensely great time together. Actually, I
think the essence of these celebrations is to bring the relatives together, because
they don’t have a chance to meet each other in a quick succession. A special
occasion, like a birthday, could be a good purpose to invite them.
Besides family celebrations we have got religious ones as well. In the case of
Hungary we speak about the Christian feasts, such as Christmas and Easter. The
date of these feasts is the same in each and every Christian country, so these are
celebrated all over the world.
Christmas day is the 25th and 26th of December, and the 24th of December is
called Christmas Eve. This is the day when the Messiah, Jesus Christ was born
in Bethlehem, and gave hope for the world, so Christmas day is a day of
merrymaking and joy. In Hungary it is also the day of giving presents to each
other, but in English-speaking countries – in England, for example – they give
presents on the 26th of December, called Boxing Day. At Christmas people
usually stand a Christmas tree, which means that they decorate a pine with
different ornaments. Presents are usually put under the Christmas tree, and in
the evening they open them together. Families have supper, they are together,
and celebrate peacefully. Some may listen to Christmas carols, others may visit
the midnight mass and they try not to concentrate on the anxious weekdays. One
of the signals of love is treating our loved ones specially, so I firmly believe
buying presents and spending time is significant when it’s Christmas time.
There are throwbacks such as traffic jams, shops with a thousand people and
high prices, so New Year’s Eve is a great opportunity to relax. Furthermore, it is
also giving me hope that I can achieve more things that I have done in previous
years. Hope is what drives me forward and is making me search for a brighter
future.
 Easter is the feast of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Its date is mobile. It is
always between the 22nd of March and the 25th of April and is the first Sunday
after the first full moon of thespring equinox. Before Easter Sunday religious
people usually don’t eat meat (this is called fast), only on Sunday. The second
day of Easter (called Easter Monday) men usually visit women in elegant
clothes, and water them with a perfume, so they will not wither in that year.
In the past, they used to get painted eggs for it, but nowadays it has become
some kind of business, and they get money for it. In the countryside it is still a
tradition and men water women with a bucket of water.
National or state feasts are also very different, because each state or country
has its own national celebrations. These feasts are usually connected with
historical events which were important in the country’s history. In Hungary
there are three national holiday we celebrate every year. The first is the 15th of
March. On this day we remember the Hungarian revolution in 1848, when the
first government was named by the king. The 20th of August is the feast of the
state foundation. This is the day when Stephen the first (our first king) was
sainted in 1083. The third national feast which is actually a mourning day is the
23rd of October. In 1956 the Hungarian revolution and independence war broke
out. On this day the leaders of the communist party resigned and democracy
won for a few days.
Last but not least, there are some days in Hungarian culture which are not
celebrations but something else called superstitions such as Lucy’s hair. This
day is observed on the 13th of December. Before our present calendar this was
the shortest day of the year. It wasn't allowed for women to cook, wash or
borrow something because it ended up in the hands of witches. From this day
men started to carve the chair from different types of tree and it had to be done
until Christmas. At midnight mass men stand up to the chair and they finally see
the witches, after the nighttime the chair was burnt by them. Unfortunately, I
don’t believe in these superstitions but it’s a good story to talk about.
The history of Santa Claus is on December 6th, when the red, hubby, bearded
man brings presents such as chocolate to children who have clean boots on the
edge of the window. Now it’s a superstition for me, because Santa does not
exist, but I am sure it is a favourite holiday for children who think he exists.
Christmas is full of love, peace and respect so this is the reason why it’s my
favourite holiday. The mood, candles, lights, the Christmas tree and the time
that I spend with my family enchants me every and every year.