Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Hungary Comes Together to Celebrate St. Stephen's Day

Hungary Comes Together to Celebrate St. Stephen's Day

Although some of the planned events had to be cancelled due to bad weather, the rain has not dampened spirits during Hungary’s national holiday, held on August 20th. Celebrations, consecration of bread and many other events are being held across the country today to mark the founding of the state on St Stephen’s Day.

The St Stephen’s Day festival will continue in the capital for several days, and the operational team responsible for the safe organization of the 20 August celebrations will continue to meet on a regular basis and will inform the public immediately of any changes to the program, depending on the weather.

Visitors were queuing up in front of Parliament despite the rain.


The national flag was raised in front of the Parliament at 8.00 a.m. in Kossuth Lajos Square, with military honors and in the presence of President of the Republic Katalin Novák. The ceremony was followed by the inauguration of the candidates for the National Defense Service, however, due to the expected adverse weather conditions, the experts of the Hungarian Defense Forces have decided to cancel the air parade scheduled for 9 a.m. Helicopters were grounded, only the Hungarian Airforce’s Gripen fighter jets were given the green light for the flypast.

Newly sworn in officers of the Hungarian armed forces.


An open day was also held at the Parliament, visitors had the opportunity to visit the ceremonial staircase, the Dome Hall and the Holy Crown between 10 and 18 hours.

During the day, the Order of Saint Stephen will be presented, and in the afternoon, as is customary, a festive mass will be celebrated in the Saint Stephen Basilica in Central Budapest. In addition, commemorations, masses and bread festivals are planned in many municipalities across the country. In Debrecen, the traditional Flower Carnival will be celebrated again this year.

20 August is one of the oldest Hungarian holidays: the day of King Saint Stephen, the founding of the Hungarian state and the commemoration of the thousand-year continuity of the state. It is also the celebration of harvest, and the new bread.

On 5 March 1991, the National Assembly, formed after the first free elections in 1990 following the fall of the Iron Curtain, declared St. Stephen’s Day an official state holiday.

Unfortunately, the traditional St. Stephen’s Day procession in Budapest had to be cancelled, and the holy mass was held inside St. Stephen’s Basilica instead of the usual open air worship, but was also broadcast on projectors to the square.

After the holy mass, instead of the procession, a musical prayer service was held in front of the relic of St. Stephen’s right hand in the Basilica, at the end of which Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom and Budapest, blessed the relic.

JAS Gripens of the Hungarian Air Force.


The operational team responsible for the safe organization of the national holiday on 20 August decided to postpone the fireworks display at its meeting at noon on Saturday due to the expected adverse weather conditions, as the team concluded that the fireworks display planned for 9 pm was unsafe. The fireworks are scheduled to be held next Saturday evening at 9pm.

Despite the rain, tens of thousands of people watched this year’s flower carnival in Hungary’s second largest city, Debrecen on Saturday, with thirteen colorful floats parading in the city center, including 1200 dancers and musicians from various art groups. In line with tradition, the national flag was raised in the main square of the city before the parade and the bread baked from new wheat was blessed in front of the Reformed Church.

A floral float depicting the Hungarian coronation jewels and the Holy Crown.


At another location the President of the Republic stressed the intertwined destiny of Hungary and Europe in her speech held in Székesfehérvár. “Our fate is intertwined with that of Europe. We need the community of European countries, and they need us,” said Katalin Novák.

She stressed that today, when the continent could become a battleground for great powers,

"we need to stand shoulder to shoulder and take joint decisions, joint European decisions that serve the common good.


She said that “the precondition for our cooperation is that we are not blackmailed, either with the money we are owed” or with the ideologies that Hungarians reject. Hungary wants to increase Europe’s strength, to amplify Europe’s voice, so that “we have a chance to protect” the people of Europe and to preserve “all that is in our history and culture” that has made Europe great, she said.

Katalin Novák pointed out that to restore and preserve order in the world, including in Europe, we need courageous, decisive and wise leaders who are capable of upholding law and justice, who do not forget the fallen and the destitute. In addition to good leaders, we also need sober, discerning and wise Hungarians, she added, stressing that Hungarians are crisis-resistant and have the ability to cling together.

President Katalin Novák speaks in Székesvehérvár.


She also stressed that it is now that we must draw strength from the wisdom, faith, foresight, tact, courage and modesty of St. Stephen. We have the opportunity to reflect on the fact that despite of many misfortunes, conflicts and injustices the Hungarian nation has remained strong. Katalin Novák pointed out that founding a state is similar to founding a family, as it requires courage, faith, determination and hope for the future.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
×