Unique Hungarian festival to banish winter скачать в хорошем качестве

Unique Hungarian festival to banish winter

(23 Feb 2012) The southern Hungarian city of Mohacs has played host to an ancient and unique pagan festival. The unusual event, which is recognised by UNESCO, heralds the end of winter. This is Istvan Burbrek - ready to take on the role of a Busho to say goodbye to winter. Every year in late February the sleepy streets of the southern Hungarian city of Mohacs are roamed by these strange, noisy men wearing wooden masks and big woolly cloaks, who set about frightening the locals. This end of winter carnival tradition dates back to the 16th century to Hungary's Ottoman occupation when men of the Sokac ethnic group (related to the Croatians) of Mohacs dressed up in sheep fur and wooden masks in a bid to frighten off their Turkish invaders. Tens of thousands of tourists also come here to witness the annual Bushos festival. Most of the men behind the scary masks belong to the city's Sokac (Croatian) minority. The Bushos festival lasts six days. It starts on a Thursday, followed by a smaller carnival on Friday, with the biggest celebration on the seventh Sunday before Easter. The celebration ends on the following Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras) which is more for the locals than the tourists, when masked men visit schools and pensioners' homes. The festival is multifaceted, including displays of how to make the ornate masks plus there's a march through the city with horse-drawn carts or motorised fantasy vehicles. A coffin, which symbolises winter, is also burned, followed by feasting. The tradition originated with the Sokac minority in Mohacs, remembering a time when the Turks occupied the area in the 16th century. The locals donned outlandish costumes in the hope of scaring away the invaders. They thought of themselves as dreadful devils or Bushos. In spite of all their efforts, Hungary was occupied by the Turks for 160 years. In the older, less popular story, the bushos are scaring away not the Turks but winter. More than a social event, the carnival is an expression of belonging to a city, a social group and a nation. It plays an important social role by offering a chance for self-expression in a communal setting. The arts underlying the festivities are preserved by groups of bushos of all cultural backgrounds, many of whom pass on the techniques of mask carving and ritual celebration to younger generations. Whatever the exact origin of this festival may be, toward the end of winter the bushos have been repeating this custom for over 400 years and the festival has by now become a colourful celebration to say farewell to winter. In September 2009, the Busho Carnival became a UNESCO world cultural heritage occasion. wacky Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...