Say “Goodbye, Winter!” and “Hello, Spring!” with a bang at the drum-beating, bonfire-blazing, masquerade-parading Busó Festivities in Mohács.
Believe it or not, people don sheepskins, pants stuffed with straw and enormous scary masks and parade through the streets to scare off the spirits of winter – a folk custom that’s almost a cross between the Venice Carnival and African rites.
Legend has it that the townsfolk, who had fled Mohács and were camped out in the nearby swamps to avoid the Ottoman invaders, were told by a mysterious man to don scary masks and return to Mohács making lots of noise. The legend has a happy ending, since the marauding Mohácsis supposedly succeeded in scaring away the Turks. Some say the legend has nothing to do with the Turks, it’s just a pagan tradition of dressing up to scare away winter.
Either way, it’s tons of fun.
The parade begins with a medieval cannon, which arrives with a band of Busó in a boat on the Danube. The Busó and others carrying ‘torches’ topped with feathers or sawdust-filled stockings walk through the streets yelling and shaking noisemakers, to the delight of crowds of costumed children and adults.
The party really starts when the parade arrives at the town’s main square, with music and dancing and merriment! As dusk falls, a bonfire is lit and on the final day, a casket symbolizing winter is either sent down the Danube, or burned in a bonfire.
History tells a slightly different story than legend. So, the festival wouldn’t be complete without a commemoration of the famous battle of Mohács in 1526, in which King Louis II led his army against the Turkish and was completely overwhelmed – nearly half the Hungarians perished. During his escape, the king fell into a river and drowned due to the weight of his armor. The loss marked the beginning of 150 years of Turkish domination over Hungary.
Nevermind, the people of Mohács still party in the streets and celebrate Busó bravery. Naturally, there’s a crafts fair, folk dance shows, live music, parties and masquerade balls, outdoors and indoors, and exhibitions of fantastically carved wooden masks and other Busó artwork dotted around town. And in Mohács, Busójárás starts Thursday and the party doesn’t stop until Tuesday night!
Busójárás February 11-16 Mohács, Széchenyi tér www.mohacs.hu (Hun)
How to get there: trains leaving from Keleti station are fastest (4-5 hours), with a change in Pécs and/or Villány. By car, drive south on the M6 or highway 6, then switch to Route 56 south through Szekszárd – Mohács is the last stop before Croatia!
Main events:
February 11 – Kids’ Carnival
2:30 p.m. Busó masquerade party for kids in the streets
3:15 p.m. Busó parade from Sokac-köz to Széchenyi tér (until 5 p.m.)
3 p.m.-5 p.m. Local folk dance troupes and Busó shows on Széchenyi tér
4 p.m.-7 p.m. Kids can make masks at the Duna Irodaház (Szabadság utca 4-6.)
7 p.m. Folk dancing for everyone at the Duna Irodaház (Szabadság utca 4-6.)
February 12 – Carnival Friday
7 p.m.-10 p.m. From pub to pub: a wine tour with the Busó
8 p.m. Folk dancing for everyone at the Duna Irodaház (Szabadság utca 4-6.)
February 13 – Carnival Saturday
9 a.m. Folk singing competition at the Duna Irodaház (Szabadság utca 4-6.)
Noon Start of the crafts market on the downtown streets
1 p.m. Busó parade from the ferry docks to Széchenyi tér
4 p.m. Busó commemoration of the Battle of Mohács at Széchenyi tér, followed by a wreath-laying and the Dance of the Busó
8 p.m. Folk Dance Evening at the Duna Irodaház (Szabadság utca 4-6.)
9 p.m. Masquerade Ball at the Schneider School of the Arts (Vörösmarty u. 3.)
February 14 – Carnival Sunday
9 a.m. Arts and folk crafts market at the school and in the streets
9 a.m. – noon Watch the Busó get ready at Bajcsy-Zsilinszky utca 60.
10 a.m. Hungarian, Croatian, German folk dance show at the Kossuth Filmszínház
10:30 a.m. Folk dancing on Széchenyi tér
1 p.m. The Busó cross the Danube (ferry docks)
1:30 p.m. Hungarian, Croatian, German folk dance show on Széchenyi tér
2:30 p.m. Busó Parade from Kóló tér to Széchenyi tér
3 p.m. Party in the streets!
4:15 p.m. Goodbye winter! Sending the casket onto the Danube
5 p.m. Torch-lighting and Dance of the Busó on Széchenyi tér
7:30 p.m. Dancing with the Busó at the Duna Irodaház (Szabadság utca 4-6.)
9 p.m. Ball at the Schneider School of the Arts (Vörösmarty utca 3.)
February 15 – Carnival Monday
Noon – 7 p.m. The Busó go from house to house in the Kóló tér area
February 16 – Shrove Tuesday
3:15 p.m. Busó parade from Kóló tér
3:30 p.m. Busó group photo at City Hall, then dancing in the streets
4:30 p.m. Folk dance show at Széchenyi tér
5 p.m. Torch-lighting and bonfire-burning of the casket symbolizing winter!