What does Hungarian Christmas look like? You will find Santa Claus and stuffed cabbage here

Why don’t children usually decorate the Christmas tree?

What good do you find on the Christmas Eve board?

And what is Luca Day?

Let’s see what a traditional Christmas looks like in Hungary.

Christmas Day in Hungary

In Hungary, Christmas Eve is an important holiday known as Szent-este or Holy Eve.

Hungarians spend the entire day with their families and decorate the Christmas tree. Often, only the adults decorate the tree in secret, so when the kids see it, it’s a big surprise and they believe the tree was brought by angels just for them!

Hungarian Christmas trees are adorned with unique and beautiful decorations. Since the 19th century, it has been a Hungarian custom to decorate the holiday tree with “szaloncukor”, a sweet fondant often coated in chocolate and wrapped in shiny colored foil. Other decorations include shiny glass ornaments and handmade decorations embroidered with traditional Hungarian patterns. Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally served after dark.

In Hungary, Santa Claus brings gifts.

After dinner, when it gets dark, the children wait outside the living room door and when they hear the bell ring, they can open the door. After that, they will be unwrapping the presents under the tree.

After Christmas Eve dinner, some families go to church for midnight mass.

What is the traditional Hungarian Christmas food?

Wondering what to eat in Hungary for Christmas?

Christmas soup is made from carp or other freshwater fish called Halászlé.

The main Christmas meal, which is also eaten on Christmas Eve, is fish and stuffed cabbage (the leaves are stuffed with rice, minced pork, onions, garlic, and other herbs).

But some families prepare fried carp and potato salad, just like ours.

In Hungary, the poppy (mákos) is believed to bring good luck and fortune in the new year. That’s why poppy seed cakes are a regular part of the festive season. One of the most famous poppy seed cakes is mákos rates, a rich poppy seed strudel.

These poppy seed rolls have two traditional fillings: poppy seeds, symbolizing wealth and good health, and walnuts, which were believed to ward off bad luck.

Gingerbread is also traditionally eaten at Christmas in Hungary. Gingerbread is often decorated in very colorful colors and is decorated with Christmas figurines.

Christmas markets in Hungary

Advent markets are an essential part of the run-up to Christmas for many Hungarians, and the most famous Christmas market is located in Vörösmarty Square.

This Christmas market has been ranked as one of Europe’s best by Conde Nast Traveler.

It features over 100 wooden stalls selling traditional Hungarian handicrafts. The air is filled with folk music and the smell of mulled wine, while open kitchens serve festive comfort food like nokedli dumplings, lángos, and chimney cakes. It’s no surprise that the Vörösmarty Christmas Market attracts thousands of visitors every holiday season.

Traditional Christmas customs

On the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas, which is celebrated on December 6, the children are visited by Santa Claus. That night, the children put their cleaned shoes on the window sills for Santa Claus and his helpers to fill them with small gifts.

If you’ve been good, you wake up to find a shoe full of oranges and tangerines. If you were naughty, Santa’s sidekick Krampusz left you a bundle of birch sticks instead.

Luca Day celebrated on December 13, marks the annual winter solstice in Hungary. As the shortest day and longest night of the year, it was also the darkest and is traditionally associated with witches and ghosts.

Luca’s calendar marks the twelve days between the winter solstice and Christmas, during which various folk traditions are practiced to ward off evil.

Luca’s calendar was also a time of love spells. To predict the name of her future husband, a single woman wrote twelve names on small scraps of paper and burned one a day until Christmas. The name on the last piece of paper was believed to be that of her future husband.

Recipe for “mákos retes” – poppy seed strudel

Are you interested in the traditional Hungarian Christmas dessert “mákos rates”? You can also bake it at home!

Ingredients

• 1 cup ground poppy seeds
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of grated lemon peel
• 4 sheets of puff pastry
• 1/4 cup of unsalted melted butter
• 1/2 cup cherry jam
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

Method:

• Combine the ground poppy seeds, sugar, and lemon zest in a medium bowl.
• Let the mixture sit for at least an hour.
• Let the oven heat up to 180 degrees.
• Place a sheet of puff pastry on a damp kitchen towel and brush it with melted butter.
• Cover with a second layer of puff pastry and spread with more butter.
• Continue the process for two more sheets and more butter to make four layers.
• Spread the poppy seed mixture in a stripe down the length of the dough, leaving a two-inch border on both sides of the dough.
• Spread the poppy seed mixture with cherry jam.
• Roll up the strudel and carefully tuck the edges inside.
• Transfer the strudel to a buttered baking sheet and brush it with butter.
• Place the tray in the oven and bake at 356 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Don’t be afraid to bake more of these poppy seed strudels and gift them to your loved ones, you’re guaranteed to make them happy. Enjoy your meal!