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The Busójárás ( Hungarian, meaning "Busó-walking"; in Croatian: ''Pohod bušara'') is an annual celebration of the Šokci living in the town of Mohács,
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, held at the end of the
Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
season ("Farsang"), ending the day before
Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of Christian prayer, prayer, Religious fasting#Christianity, fasting and ...
. The celebration features ''Busó''s (people wearing traditional masks) and includes
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
, masquerading, parades and dancing. Busójárás lasts six days, usually during February. It starts on a Thursday, followed by the ''Kisfarsang'' (Little Farsang) carnival on Friday, with the biggest celebration, ''Farsang vasárnap'' (Farsang Sunday) on the seventh Sunday before Easter Sunday; the celebration then ends with ''Farsangtemetés'' (Burial of Farsang) on the following Tuesday (
Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day) is the final day of Shrovetide, which marks the end of the pre-Lenten season. Lent begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is observed in many Christian state, Ch ...
or Mardi Gras). These traditional festivities have been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
in 2009. Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival custom
Description and decision at the UNESCO's website. Accessed on 11 January 2013. Locals explain the Carnival with two related but different legends. According to the most popular legend, during the Ottoman times of the territory, people from Mohács fled the town, and started living in the nearby swamps and woods to avoid Ottoman (Turkish) troops. One night, while they were sitting and talking around the fire, an old Šokac man appeared suddenly from nowhere, and said to them: "Don't be afraid, your lives will soon turn to good, and you'll return to your homes. Until that time, prepare for the battle, carve various weapons and scary masks for yourselves, and wait for a stormy night when a masked knight will come to you." He disappeared as suddenly as he arrived. The refugees followed his orders, and some days later, on a stormy night, the knight arrived. He ordered them to put on their masks and go back to Mohács, making as much noise as possible. They followed his lead. The Turks were so frightened by the noise, the masks, and the storm in the night, that they thought demons were attacking them, and they ran away from the town before sunrise. In the older, less popular story, the ''busó''s are scaring away not the Turks but Winter itself. In any case, the locals have celebrated the Busójárás in early February every year ever since, hosting "guest Busó teams" from neighbouring countries (Croatia and Serbia, local Šokci Croats and Slovenia) and also from Poland.


Gallery

Buso masks.jpg, ''Busó'' masks (Mohács, February 2006) Mascara busó.jpg, Busó mask from the collection of the Museu da Imigração de São Paulo (Immigration Museum of São Paulo) - Brazil Busó-walking - Busójárás.jpg, Busó-walking - Busójárás Busó-walking of the Hungarian Carnival - Farsangi busójárás.jpg, Busó-walking of the Hungarian Carnival - Farsangi busójárás. Busós.jpg, Busós Busó.jpg, Busó


See also

* Kurentovanje * Kukeri * Pre-Christian Alpine traditions * Zvončari


References


External links



(More info: http://www.busofest.hu UNESCO: Representative List (2009), The Busó festivities at Mohács)
A film about the festivities in English


Stipan Bunjevac: Iz života hrvatskih vjernika izvan Hrvatske - Hrvati u Mohaču: Mohačke buše šokačkih Hrvata, nr.5 (1702), February 4, 2007
Official website of Mohacs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busojaras Carnivals in Hungary Festivals in Hungary Croatian traditions Ritual animal disguise Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Slavic holidays Spring (season) in Hungary Slavic carnival February observances