The “Busójárás” – Scary Walkers Carneval will be held between February, 8.and 13, 2024.
The folk custom has passed and kept alive by oral tradition over many years of the event in Mohács which goes back to 1687. The villagers of Mohács managed to defeat the Turkish army by scaring them away with the help of frighting wooden masks and make noise with various devices to get into a boat in order to drive the Turks away after crossing the Danube. It is however, more likely, that the tradition arrived about a decade later with the Croatian settlers, whose descendants still play an active part in the festivities. Very similar masks and costumes are found in indicating links with an ancient, pagan ritual associated with spring fertility celebrations.
Mohács, located about 200 km south of the capital, is the best-known Carneval location in Hungary. The six-day-long festival starts on with an impresive parade. This tradition is acknowledged in 2009 by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The busó individuals are wearing big sheepskin costumes and horned wooden masks make an impressive entrance. They arrive in rowboats from across the Danube and parade through the city, making noise with cowbells and rattles, to scare away winter. Some of them arrive riding fantastical motorized or horse-drawn vehicles. Their helpers, the ‘Jankele’, are groups of children roaming the streets, dressed in rags and wearing stockings for masks, who carry sacks filled with rags to give a playful beating to the girls. The scary mask walkers return at dusk, then the hustle-and-bustle begins on the main square, where the busó people light the bonfire and this ceremony symbolically ends the winter, while over 500 busó dance around in a circle, making an even bigger racket, just to make sure that winter will definitely not come back and the people can look forward to a flourishing spring, a bountiful New Year and a good harvest.
However, it is certain that this Mohács custom has now become world famous. Year-after-year, it is surrounded by great ovation, interesting people to come not just the Hungarians but foreigners arrive to Mohács about 200 kms South of the Capital to seelive, participate at this kind of carneval. In the past, it was the custom to visit the houses and say their good wishes to the residents, they helped ward off the winter, and the people in the house rewarded them with delicious snacks. There is little historical basis for this, authentic data from the 18th century. The Mohács custom was recorded. Presumably, this legend was brought by the “sokács” of Balkan origin, thus creating a wonderful tradition that lives on to this day.
They return at dusk, when the hustle-and-bustle on the main square begins, where the busó light the bonfire and this ceremony symbolically ends the winter, from which the people can look forward to a flourishing spring, a bountiful New Year and a good harvest.
What to live through … Carnival parade … masks, buso props and other folk art objects” exhibition of the works of buso mask carvers and visiting other folk art object creators. The masquerades, folk music and dance performances, children’s activities, gastro events and handicraft fairs have had already attracted several thousand visitors.
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