Wishing all our kind Readers a very blessed and healthy New Year!

Kívánunk minden kedves Olvasónknak áldásos,

békés, egészséges új esztendőt!

Poster with portrait of Kölcsey Ferenc

This is the day when Kölcsey Ferenc finished writing the eight stanzas of the Himnusz – Hungary’s national anthem. Since 1989, it has been  observed as A magyar kultúra napja – The Day of Hungarian Culture.

Eva Apor Balintitt

“Oh, to live to be 100!” - sounds more romantic than it really is.  The phrase “Golden Years” must have been coined by someone young and healthy, who imagined old age to be just a continuation of feeling invincible.  In reality, the bane of the senior years is not just one’s own increasing health problems; it is also comparable to a battlefield, watching your comrades being killed in action.

This brutal year of 2020, reaping over 1.5million victims by COVID-19 worldwide so far is a grim, although impersonal number.  Losing one of your friends of over six decades hits you straight in the gut.

As I was looking at the list of the treasures of Hungary that made it to the Hungaricum Collection, I wasn’t surprised to see the Zsolnay porcelain and ceramics on it.

On the 26^th of November 2020, the legendary singer, musician, and songwriter Balázs Fecó (Balázs Ferenc) passed away due to the coronavirus. 

He will be missed by his many fans.

Pécsi mézes kalács / Honey cookie from Pécs

This recipe is from Polgár Zsuzsa, folk artist from the city of Pécs, Hungary, and we are using it here by her permission.   

Mézes kalács has a long tradition in Hungary.  It was known in Hungary even before the time of King Mátyás (15^th century), and over the centuries it slowly  spread throughout  the country.  In 1824, “mézes kalács”  bakers received permission to start a guild.  Zsuzsa presents a video that I recommend  to everyone, even if you don’t understand Hungarian; it is fun.  Click on the word "More" at the end to watch the video.

This was one day in the year when, after all the cooking and housework, women put down their aprons and had their fling.  Asszonyfarsang was held on the middle day of the ”tail of Carnival”, i.e., the Monday before Ash Wednesday, and no man was allowed to participate. While described as waning in popularity, there is still mention of this fun fest in several places in our (pre-Covid) days.

... that our internationally famous star water polo player passed away last year?