Hungarian Vs. American Christmas: 5 Differences

The Christmas season is in full swing here and I am alll about it. I grew up in a small town, so experiencing Christmas in a big city holds a lot of excitement for me. And experiencing Christmas in a different country lights me up like a Christmas tree. The last week has been full of mulled wine and Advent wreaths and other little differences I’ve noticed between celebrations here and celebrations back home. Here’s just a few!

The Tree

This was the biggest change for me to get used to because I love shopping for a Christmas tree! (I always procrastinate in decorating it, but that’s besides the point). And I love getting it early. I think the smell of pine and the warm glow of lights are some of the most wonderful things about the Christmas-y atmosphere, and I want to soak them up as long as I can! But here, instead of hitting up the tree farm before you’ve even finished your Thanksgiving leftovers, it’s more common to get your tree a few days before Christmas, and even wait to decorate it until Christmas Eve. This makes a lot more sense when you realize that the tree stands don’t have that built in bucket to hold water. So of course you would have to get it later in the month if you didn’t want a pile of brown needles for most of December. I’m willing to take my chances, though–I can’t wait to get a tree!

The Candy

When you look for the supreme sweet in Hungary at Christmastime, it won’t take you long to be introduced to the Szaloncukor. It took some getting used to, but I guess it’s slightly refreshing not to be bombarded with candy canes everywhere I go (I mean honestly, who can eat all of those? My candy cane supply normally lasted until February, at least.). And, trust me, it’s way easier to make a pile of Szaloncukor’s disappear. Imagine a bite sized piece of fondant wrapped in a layer of smooth milk chocolate. Aside from gobbling then up at all hours, Szaloncukors are also used as simple decoration for your Christmas tree.

Santa

So traditionally, Santa and Mikulás aren’t the same person, but they’re becoming more and more synonymous with each other. Along with different origins, Mikulás plays a different role in the Hungarian Christmas tradition than Santa does in the States. Bringing presents on Christmas Eve is strictly the property of Baby Jesus, so instead, Santa comes through on December 6th and brings candy/little gifts to all the good boys and girls. If you’re naughty, however, expect to find a virgács instead of treats. I don’t know about you, but I think these gold switches are a definite upgrade from lumps of coal. In fact, they’re so pretty that I mistakenly bought them as Christmas decorations for my apartment…the Hungarian may tease me about it, but now my apartment is one step closer to Pinterest perfection, and I won’t apologize.

Advent

The more I talk to my other American friends, the more I wonder if mine was the only family that didn’t celebrate Advent during the Christmas season (like, I thought “Advent” was just the name for those chocolate calendars and then every other seasonal thing went into the “Christmas” category). But since moving to Hungary, I’ve been educated. Every Friday in December one candle is lit on an Advent wreath (when we do it at my kindergarten, all of the kids sing a song–it’s supa cute), and I’ve been seeing them all over the city! The giant Advent wreath at Deák Ferenc Ter is a festive sight to behold

Christmas Markets

When I picture “Christmas in Europe”, the markets are the first things to pop into my head. Maybe it’s just because I grew up in a small town, but I’ve never seen a Christmas market in the States like the ones I’ve seen around Europe. In the States there seems to be a lot more emphasis on decked-out shopping malls, but I would trade those for courtyards full of festive wooden huts any day. True: market prices are outrageously inflated, but it’s always free to just walk through the lit up stalls with the smell of mulled wine and spices swirling around you. I love looking at the mouthwatering food (and then buying the cheaper version at one of my favorite spots in the city), or finding little souvenirs here and there. Budapest is exceptionally well set up for markets–you’ll find three in the city center within a 10 minute walk of each other! Start small at the stalls at Deák Ferenc Ter, then walk down through the sparkling Fashion Street until you come to the larger market at Vörösmarty tér. From there you can either hop over to the Danube and catch some romantic views of the Budapest skyline, or head on the the market at the base of St. Stephen’s Basilica (there’s a light show projected on the church every night, if that sounds exciting!). Rest assured, you can have plenty of Christmas market experiences in Budapest.