Saint Catherine's Day in Hungary

On the 25th of November Catholic and Orthodox Churches all over the world celebrate Saint Catherine of Alexandria, one of the most influential virgin-martyrs venerated by religious culture. Claimed to have been a noted scholar in the early 4th century, Catherine was an important focus of devotion during the Middle Ages and a model for proper feminine behaviour later on; she also inspired many painters and artists throughout the centuries.
According to a legend with many variations and little historical basis, she attempted to convince the Roman Emperor Maximinus of the error of his ways in persecuting Christians - she succeeded in converting his wife and fifty pagan wise men whom he sent to dispute with her. Angered by his failure the emperor ordered her to be put in prison, and when her visitors were converted too, she was condemned to death on the breaking wheel; the instrument of torture broke when she touched it, so she was beheaded, and her body was eventually taken away by angels.

In Hungary her day of remembrance is a very popular folk holiday, as is her name itself (in Hungarian: Katalin), and St. Catherine is considered to be the patron of young girls who wish to get married. In the countryside on the eve of her day they dress up in special costumes and masks and go around the village reciting blessings and expressing wishes of health and matrimonial happiness. According to popular belief on this night each girl should cut off the bough of a fruit-tree and put it in water - if Catherine's bough ("katalingally") grows green until Christmas, it predicts marriage in the near future.
Saint Catherine's Day is a holiday of women, one on which work is forbidden to them, but many other folk traditions are linked to it as well. The best known one is an interesting weather forecast: if this day is chilling and frosty, then Christmas will be rainy and muddy, if Catherine brings a mild weather, then Christmas will be freezing cold. Also in rural areas this date marks the beginning of a resting stage: between this day and Christmas, no balls, dances and wedding parties are organized.

Budapest Christmas Fair 2009

Beginning with tomorrow the beautiful Vörösmarty Square (Vörösmarty tér) will be the host of a Budapest tradition again: the 10th edition of the Christmas Fair, known as one of the best of its kind in Europe, will be open every day (except the two days followign the Holy Night) between the 20th of November and the 29th of December, from 10 AM until nightime.
Visited by six hundred thousand tourists from all over the world last year, and considerable numbers in all years before that, the international event invites all who are curious about the unique selection of Hungarian products and would like to enjoy the wonderful setting, the intimate festive atmosphere and the wide range of exciting programs, all reflecting the magic of Christmas.

For more than a month, cottage-style wooden pavilions will be open and will display products manufactured by more than 100 talented artisans and craftsmen: folk and applied art object, decorations made from natural materials and with authentic techniques - all hand-made and with a quality gurantee from the Hungarian Society of Folk Arts.
Beside the festive ornaments and the original holiday season gifts and artifacts, other traditional items like wooden toys, hand-blown glass figures, wrought iron decorations, blue-dye fabrics, reed baskets, clay pots will be available too; also a rich selection of fashionable things will be up for sale: various leather goods, silver and enamel jewellery, books and CDs, candles and bags.

Hungarian gastronomy will be present as well, so tourists interested in local cuisine will be able to check out the food stands and choose from the rich offer of typical Hungarian desserts, snacks and even main courses. There will be grilled sausages and roast ribs too, but one should definitely try something very Hungarian like tejfölös lángos (fried dough with sour cream) or töki pompos (pizza batter bread with onion and bacon topping) served right out the mud oven. Sweets will surely include mákosguba (poppy-seed cake), kürtös kalács (sugar coated cylinder-shaped pastry), almásrétes (apple-strudel), mézeskalács (gingerbread with honey crust), milk loaves and Christmas cookies.
The traditional country food feast should be started off with pálinka (fruit brandy) and can be washed down with a delicious coffe, hot tea or mulled wine – after drinking it, one can take home the specially designed Christmas Fair mug it is served in.

The smell of cinnamon and chestnuts, the sound of silver bells and carols, and the sight of thousands of colourfull lights on fir trees, will be completed with interesting cultural programs: folk music and dances, traditional greetings and short theater performances will be presented on an outdoor stage.
From the 1st until the to 24th of December, accompanied by beautiful chime music and festive wind-instrument pieces as well as an amazing light-show, the windows of the famous Gerbeaud building will open one by one each day at 5 PM, to reveal a huge advent calendar consisting of stunning contemporary paintings.
On the 13th of December a small Betlehem (nativity scene) will appear on the square and for three days beginning with the 21st it will come alive with real animals.

While nostalgic parents make themselves busy with Christmas shopping in the fair, they will find that this can be a real family experience that brings generations together: a heated tent will host a playhouse for children of all ages, where they will have the opportunity to make their own toys and holiday ornaments guided by professionals; craftsmen will introduce ancient games to them, they can get acquainted with old trades, and they can can take part in a Christmas tree decorating competition.
On weekend mornings there will be special children's puppet theatre performances and Santa will visit kids this year too: sitting on his chair at the corner of the Gerbeaud house he will warmly welcome little ones and their wishes on the first weekend of December.

Similar but smaller Christmas markets will also be organized on Liszt Ferenc Square (Liszt Ferenc tér) close to Oktogon and on Nyugati Square (Nyugati tér) near the railway station.

Budapest Fashion Week 2009

The 8th edition of Budapest Fashion Week will start on Thursday, the 19th of November, and last until Sunday from 8 PM until late at night. The three-day event that has become a notable one in the international fashion industry will be hosted by the Vam Design Center.

The main show on the program will be the Haute Couture collection of famous designer Michael Adam – the founder of Fashion TV will present his creations in Budapest for the second time after the Hong Kong premiere; the Italian Yes London will be the other international highlight in the Hungarian capital this autum.
Beside these two, many Hungarian names will offer their talents to complete the prestigious event: Czinege, Mónika Király and Renáta Mag, MartinKA, Réka Orosz, Gyöngyi Varga, UHT, Nicole, Márta Georgina Gere, Ticci, Erika Glotz, Kriszta Szakos, Mónika Tóth, EXP La Coll, Klára Földi, Cecília Reök and Tímea Varga, Le Corset, Kinga Mohari, Kriszta Iványi, Wazzy, as well as Kinga Novák.
The organizer of the event is designer Balázs Mayer, whose company has a ten year experience in the fashion industry, and who is well-known all over the world for his very special style: the brand name Kenguru is a synonym for interesting, extravagant clothes.

Beside the usual dress-parades there will be other things to see as well: the performance of Magma Tűzszínház fire-theatre and also many individual surprises announced by the participant designers, who will not just stick to the rules of traditional runway shows and send their models on the catwalk.
Just like in the past years, the 2009 Budapest Fashion Week will end in a glamorous after-party too.

Art Collectors' Night Budapest 2009

This autumn for the 14th time professional art dealers from the historic center of Budapest have decided to organize a very special event: on Thursday the 12th of November, a bunch of galleries and shops located in the 5th district of the capital (in Falk Miksa street and its vicinity) will keep their gates open until midnight inviting anyone who wants to buy works of art or is simply curious. Starting at 5 PM, the Art Collectors' Night festival will include exhibition openings, guided tours, artisan presentations, fine and applied art exhibits, craft demonstrations, lectures and concerts – a total of 22 programs organized by 21 participants.

Among programs there will be 12 exhibition openings. The most important one is perhaps one brought from London and exclusively planned for Art Collectors' Night – a private collection of silver artefacts from the eastern part of the world: various weapons, Buddha statues, dishes and jugs decorated with cultics symbols, gathered from Iran, Syria, Morocco, Turkey, Armenia, India, China, Burma, Laos and Tibet. Those who enjoy expressive paintings with symbolic meanings, with a hint of surreal but always closer to realism, can see a preview of the works of József Breznay, whose exhibition Paintings about the 30’s will open later this month. Some of the exciting works of the world famous Victor Vasarely will be displayed as well: his serigraphies, collages and kinetic installations will await visitors who like graphic design.
For those who would like to surprize their loved ones with unique presents this year, next month a Christmas art auction marathon will take place at Pintér Auction House; beginning with the 2nd of December it will put up for sale items of antique furniture, jewelry, as well as classical and modern paintings and sculpture - the viewing of all three days' lots will take place in Hungary's largest private art gallery (on nearly 2000 square metres) opening on the Art Collectors' Night. A charity fundraiser will take place during the program: tombola tickets will be sold and will win the luckiest buyers valuable contemporary works of art; the money accumulated by the charity event will help sponsor a Transylvanian orphanage.

Tomorrow evening will be an absolute delight for all who are interested in contemporary Hungarian art, in Hungarian artists who live and successfully work abroad, in geometric art patterns in the work of international artists, in antique furniture and home decor objects, in original vintage placards and typical Art Deco style posters presenting life in the twenties, in old maps or beautiful diamond jewels.
Throuhout the night the visual art feast will be complemented by several musical gifts that will include the improvisations of a jazz quartet and a concert of French ballads accompanied by a harmonica.

Saint Martin's Day in Hungary

Saint Martin and the 11th of November, the day that celebrates him, are well known all over Europe: an acclaimed Bishop of Tours during the 4th century, he experienced visions and impressed Christians with his enthusiasm that urged them to destroy the pagans' temples, altars, sculptures and convert them. His veneration was very popular during the Middle Ages and even today he is one of the best known Catholic saints, the day dedicated to him being an important one in the Christian calendar.
Saint Martin is particularly dear to Hungarians, as he was born in Savaria, Pannonia, which today is the town of Szombathely from the western part of the country. Local legends say that when he was elected bishop he refused to accept the honour and tried to hide in a goose-pen, but the geese cackled and betrayed him - based on this tale in Hungary he is mostly known from folklore, and throughout the centuries many popular traditions have been linked to his person.

In the countryside Martin's (in Hungarian: Márton) day marks the closure of the farm labour period that starts each April with Saint George's Day: harvesting of field crops is finished and domestic animal herds are gathered and moved from the pastures to stock-yards. With the help of a rod sheperds lead their animals home to their owners and receive their annual pay and gifts (usually a goose) in return for their service – the rods are then placed on the rooftops of stables to protect the livestock and are used again next spring for the same work.
Then to ensure an abundance of food and drink throughout the year feasts are held, because according to a belief that goes back to the 12th century, whoever doesn't eat goose meat ("mártonlúd") on St. Martin's Day will go hungry and be weak all year round. From the breast-bone of the goose, villagers can prognosticate the weather: if the bone is long and white winter will bring snow, if it's short and brown the following months will be muddy. On the same day new wine is tasted for the first time, so the celebration usually turns into a cheerful party.

If you happen to be visiting someone in Hungary or are a tourist in Budapest this week, you will find that this autumn festivity rooted in folk culture is kept alive by local families and many restaurants pay attention to it too by including adequate items in their menus. So blend in and go out to dinner - make sure you order a roasted goose leg, potatoes with onions, steamed red cabbage, and drink some wine made from this year's grape yield.

The Autumn Night of Museums 2009

For the past seven years on the 21st of June, the date of the summer solstice also known as Midsummer Night, Budapest museums have kept their gates open after the usual closing time, inviting everyone to visit exhibitions, take part at programs, listen to lectures and participate in discussions about art - to have fun in an unusual environment at an unusual hour.

Year after year the special night has attracted more and more interest from the general public, and the atmosphere has always been great, so encouraged by the huge success that has exceeded all expectations, the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture has decided to offer to all lovers of art a smilar opportunity in autumn as well: for the very first time in 2009 a sister event will take place in celebration of Saint Martin's Day.
On Saturday the 14th of November, which is also the closing weekend of the Autumn Festival of Museums, several dozen famous as well as small museums will allow those who purchase just one ticket to enter exhibitions in all the museums they can manage between 6 PM and midnight.
Preparing to establish a new tradition, 30 museums and cultural institutions in Budapest and a total of 47 in towns all around the country will stay open and will put on a variety of cultural programs, with sights and sounds never seen or heard in at other times of the year. Their goal is to entertain adults, children and young people within the walls of old historic buildings, in an attractive and elegant setting, making sure they receive valuable impressions that will hopefully convince them to become regular museum visitors.

Starting this year former stickers serving as admission tickets are replaced by armbands, that are already available and can be bought at all participating in the program, as well as at the ticket offices of the Budapest public transport company. These armbands will allow their holders to use all regular BKV services during the time of the event, but just like always special museum buses will run between venues as well on four different routes, all departing from and arriving back to Deák Square (Deák tér).
A mobile map and program guide will be available to cellphone users during the event: a small application will allow them to connect easier to an online booklet and search for the nearest museums and their offers based on their own location - but those who would like to prepare in advance can already find out lots of useful information on the event's website.

The Harlem Gospel Choir in Budapest

After their enourmous success of last year, the Harlem Gospel Choir will stop on their Concert of Hope World Tour 2009/2010 in Hungary as well: at 7:30 PM on the 27th of November their show will be hosted by the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (Zeneakadémia) in Budapest and it will be one of the last events organized here before the venue is closed for renovation.

The Harlem Gospel Choir is the absolute best in this music genre – although there are now many similar performers all over the world, this was the first real gospel choir, founded by Allen Baily in 1986.
The American company travels the globe with amazing concerts and generous charity fundraisers, sharing its joy of faith and its message of love and peace with hundreds of thousands of people. Through dynamic performances they try to bring people of all nations together and create a better understanding of the African-American culture and the inspirational music called gospel.
In its almost twenty-five years of existence he choir performed for President Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II, with Harry Belafonte and Whoopi Goldberg, in parks, churches and theathers, at festivals, stadiums and parades, as well as at Carnegie Hal and Radio City Music Hall.

The members of the choir are among the best singers and musicians from the Tri-State Region around New York City and their special secret is the fact that during every show they are able to fill concert halls with an intimate atmosphere and make audiences fell a mystical power. Their spiritual energy is a true blessing and those who listen to their angelic voices will feel ecstatic and happy regardless of their religious beliefs.
The Budapest concert will be part of the ones dedicated to the "King of Pop" and is called Remembering Michael Jackson - tickets are still available, go and enjoy.

In Love with Budapest

Some of the reasons that make us proud of Hungary and some of the sights that make us love Budapest:

Gary Moore in Budapest

There seems to be pleasant surprises for every musical taste in the capital this autumn, even on a bad omen day: on Friday the 13th of November Northern Irish guitarist and singer Gary Moore will enchant blues lovers; as part of his European tour he will give a concert at the Syma Sport and Event Center at 8 PM, for the first time ever in Budapest. The main attraction of the evening will be preceded by Jamie Winchester and his band, a performer well known and loved by Hungarian rock fans.

The career of Gary Moore dates back to the sixties and through the decades he released many albums, he gave countless concerts, and played with artists including Thin Lizzy, B.B. King, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and the blues-rock band Skid Row, as well as having a successful individual career, beginning with his first solo album that came out in 1973.
Ginving proof of amazing versatility over his long career Moore experimented with many different genres and variations, raging from rock, jazz, blues and country, to traditional electric blues, modern dance beat or hard rock and heavy metal, his strange choices sometimes confusing audiences and critics alike; he cooperated with huge artists in very diverse musical styles, like George Harrison, Ginger Baker, The Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

After a series of rock records, Moore returned to blues music with a hugely popular 1990 release, Still Got the Blues and stayed with it: last year he released a new album called Bad for You Baby, one that presents his talent and wide spectrum once again, offering an electrifying experience based on the unique tone his fans are so familiar with. To revive romantic memories accompanied by his old hits and to get a taste of his newest melodies, you can be one of the lucky fans who gets the final ticket to this show, as the last standing places are now up for sale.

The Parliament - A Gem on the Danube

The Parliament (Országház) is one of Europe’s oldest legislative buildings, the most important Hungarian public facility and one of the most beautiful ladmarks of Budapest - it is located on the Pest side of the capital, on the bank of the Danuber river, about halfway between the Chain Bridge and the Margit Bridge.
The luxuriously decorated, breathtakingly beautiful architectural masterpiece was built between 1884 and 1904, based on the layout plan of Imre Steindl – unfortunately he didn’t get to see the finished work, but he was witness to the first parliamentary session held there: on the 8th of June 1896, in celebration of the thousandth year of existence of the Hungarian state.

Similar to the Palace of Westminster, the building was built in Gothic Revival style, on a Baroque design ground plan and it has a symmetrical facade and a central dome. The interior decoration includes 242 sculptures on the walls, frescoes on the ceilings, statues of Hungarian kings and Translyvanian military leaders, coats of arms, stained glass windows and mosaic paintings.
Two of the most famous parts of the building are the ornamental stairs and the Central Hall where the Holy Crown of Hungary is displayed; there are two huge chambers adjoining it where the National Assembly meets (and where the Upper House used to meet until 1945).

One of the rules followed during the time the building took place was that only local materials could be used in the process. An average of a thousand people worked on the site at all times, around forty millions bricks, half a million ornamental stones and forty kilograms of gold were used.
The building is 268 meters long, 123 meters wide, 96 meters high, and an area of 17745 square meters, it has 27 entrance doors and gates, 10 interior courtyards, 29 stairways and 13 passenger and freight elevators; today it hosts the National Assembly as well as several institutions, a library, many congress halls and over two hundred offices.

Those who would like to be accommodated within walking distance from the Parliament can stay in the cosy little Hotel Central Basilica***, the elegant new Hotel Parlament****, or the recently renovated luxury boutique Hotel President*****.
The main facade of the Parliament building, the one on the side of the river, can be seem in its complete beauty beginning with September 2009, when 21 years of renovation and restoration finally ended; group tours that take tourists inside are organized every day - these are lead by professional travel guides who talk about the sights in several languages.

Italian Renaissance in Budapest

The most comprehensive exhibition to date dedicated to the Italian Renaissance is currently running in Budapest, in the Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) – the spectacular, large scale exhibition entitled Boticelli to Titian: Masterpieces of Two Centuries of Italian Art and it displays paintings from over fifty museums from around the world.

The exhibit of 15th and 16th century Italian painting offers visitors the opportunity to find out more about the development of intellectual and artistic processes in the most important cultural centres and get aquainted with the greatest artists of the period (among whom were Giorgione, Raphael, Veronese and Tintoretto).
Among the presented paintings visitors will be able to see sensational masterpieces like Titian's Man with a Glove, Veneto's Flora, Botticelli's Story of Virginia, Cossa's Portrait of a Man, Perugino's Portrait of Francesco delle Opere, Savoldo's Tobias and the Angel and Vecchio's La Bella. The Hungarian public will also have the unique chance to see one of the most valuable paintings in the world, the emblematic Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci – the painting is very special because it's permanently exhibited in the Czartoryski Museum in Cracow and so far in Europe it has only been loaned to Italian museums.

In addition to the artists and works listed above, the show includes 35 paintings from the prestigious Italian collection of the local museum as well as 130 paintings, representing the art of over eighty masters on loan from famous museums including the Uffizi in Florence, the Galleria Borghese in Rome, the Prado in Madrid, the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the national galleries of London and Washington DC.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at the box office of the Museum of Fine Arts – the exhibition can be attended for three and a half months, until the 14th of February 2010.