It’s not only the weather that’s officially turned chilly, but also Magyar history – at least, it did in 1849. On October 6th, Hungary will commemorate the 160th anniversary of the end of the 1848-1849 Revolution and Freedom Fight. And sadly it wasn’t a happy end for the magyars.
The revolution of 1848 led to a two-year long freedom fight, one that turned out to be a fundamental point in shaping Hungary’s national identity. By mid-1849, the Austrian Habsburgs were so desperate that they needed to ask for help from no less than the Russians to destroy the Hungarian army. The moment the huge Russian army crossed the borders of Hungary basically decided the war.
October 6th is the Memorial Day of the 13 Martyrs of Arad, the leaders of the Hungarian army during the freedom fight, who were unmercifully executed by the order of the Habsburg emperor, Franz Joseph. Count Lajos Batthyány, the first ever prime minister of Hungary, was also shot in Budapest. The bloodshed, though, swept through the whole country, with the supervision of the ‘hyena of Brescia’, Julius Haynau, a cruel general of the Habsburgs, whose name became the hallmark of the terror following the freedom fight.
After that brief history lesson, let’s see what to do (or not to do) on an October 6th in Hungary. As a tribute to the first Magyar PM who died a martyr for his cause, in 1926 Budapest decided to pay homage to him and his heritage with the so-called Batthyány Eternal Flame. The inauguration ceremony was held in the presence of the last 1848 soldier, István Lebó. The place is well worth a visit. There’ll be several commemorational ceremonies throughout the country.
Now, here comes the other side of do’s and don’ts. Legend holds that after the execution of the 13 martyrs, the Austrian soldiers had a celebration with a few beers. According to the legend, Hungarians then swore that they wouldn’t clink glasses of beer for 150 years. Custom became tradition, though, and it’s now part of Magyar drinking etiquette. Since then, Hungarians don’t say cheers with their beers and definitely don’t clink their glasses. Rather, they usually murmur some not-so-delightful words about Haynau, especially on October 6th.
The 13 Martyrs of Arad:
Lajos Aulich, János Damjanich, Arisztid Dessewffy, Ernő Kiss, Károly Knézich, György Lahner, Vilmos Lázár, Károly Leiningen Westerburg, József Nagysándor, Ernő Pöltenberg, József Schweidel, Ignác Török and Károly Vécsey.