St. Stephen’s Day Hungary

St. Stephen’s Day Hungary

By Sharon Schweitzer

St. Stephen’s Day holds a long and interesting history. It begins with Stephen the Grand Prince of the Hungarians who laid the foundations of the state. Until the end of the 10th century, the Hungarians were in conflict with other European countries. In 955 A.D., Hungarian tribes suffered a major military loss and the tribal heads decided to give up their raids and concentrate on building a strong state. Stephen was of the view that the conversion of Magyar to Christianity can serve as a great way of settling down and strengthening the state.

Stephen received a crown from Pope Sylvester II and the honor of becoming the first King of Hungary in 1000 A.D. His crown is considered a holy treasure and is still found in Hungary’s precious treasures. Stephen died on August 15th, 1038 A.D. On August 20th, 1083 A.D., he was made a Catholic saint. Ladislaus I declared August 20th a holy day and it was first celebrated in 1092 A.D. It was celebrated as St. Stephen’s Feast Day until 1771 when Queen Maria Theresia expanded it from a church feast to an official national holiday. It further went through amendments and in 1950 the holiday’s name was changed to Constitution Day. The Hungarian parliament reinstated it as the commemoration of St. Stephen’s Feast Day to celebrate the foundation of the Hungarian state. In the canonization process, it was found that King Stephen’s right hand had not decayed at all, hence it was removed and can now be seen in St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest.

Countless traditions and celebrations are observed annually on the saint’s feast day in Hungarian communities throughout the Carpathian Basin, but Budapest’s celebrations commemorating the foundation of the Hungarian state are the most outstanding.

Festivities in the capital start in the morning with the raising of the Hungarian flag and continue all day long. August 20th arguably becomes the symbol of Hungarian independence: the official celebration begins with the ceremonial hoisting of the national flag on Kossuth square (where the Parliament building is located); followed by the carving of the Cake of Hungary and giving many of the state awards to our most distinguished citizens. There is also an organized procession held in honor of the Holy Right hand (the mummified right hand of St. Stephen) but the best-known event of the day is the spectacular fireworks after sunset when huge masses assemble on the banks of the River.  Fireworks on August 20th have been part of the celebrations since 1927. There are celebrations in almost every part of the country, capped off by fireworks in the evening. The biggest in the country is the one in Budapest, shot from the Danube.

In 1945, Communist leaders prohibited celebrations due to its religious nature and in 1950 it was changed to Constitution Day. It was reinstated as a celebration of St. Stephen in 1990 by the Hungarian Parliament.

Photo by www.themayor.eu/

Sharon Schweitzer JD, is a diversity and inclusion consultant, cross-cultural trainer, etiquette expert, and the founder of Access to Culture. In addition to her accreditation in intercultural management from the HOFSTEDE Centre, she is an attorney and mediator. Sharon served as a Chinese Ceremonial Dining Etiquette Specialist in the documentary series Confucius was a Foodie, on Nat Geo People. Her Amazon #1 Best Selling book in International Business,  Access to Asia: Your Multicultural Business Guide, won a coveted Kirkus Star, and was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books. She’s a winner of numerous awards, including the British Airways International Trade Award at the Greater Austin Business Awards.

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