Carnival Programs at the Museum of Ethnography

The Museum of Ethnography will offer its audience programs related to the traditions of the Carnival period over the next two weekends, the institution informed MTI on Monday.

On February 7, visitors will be invited to craft workshops and thematic guided tours, and on February 14, an all-day series of events will be held, the announcement reads.

They recalled that Carnival, which lasts from Epiphany to Ash Wednesday - which will end on February 18 in 2026 - is traditionally a time of fun, transformation and community togetherness. In peasant culture, there was less agricultural work at this time, and noisy, costumed customs played a greater role, which served to bid farewell to winter and await spring. The museum's programs also evoke this world of tradition, the announcement said.

The events focus on the Mohács busójárás, which is also on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List and is one of the best-known festivals of Hungarian folk culture. The folk custom is a winter carnival tradition, a festival with tourist attractions and a family-community event.

On February 7, programs will be organized with the participation of folk artists Tímea Rosta and Endre Rosta. In the morning, wooden mask painting and wooden spoon puppet making await those interested, and the so-called "beautiful busós" will also be introduced, who appear with their faces covered with veils and in clothing reminiscent of the Sokác folk costume. A thematic guided tour will start at 2 p.m., during which Endre Rosta will explain the living tradition of the busójárás through his personal experiences and works.

On February 14, a full-day program series titled Masks, Love and Winter Hunting will be organized, which is related to Carnival traditions as well as Valentine's Day. In addition to the interactive performance titled Circus Folkloric by the Kuttyomfitty Company, children will be able to enjoy playful activities, as well as mask and noise-making instrument-making crafts.

Teenagers and adults can learn about the European and overseas meanings of mask-wearing, the customs of the busójárás and the women's carnival, as well as the place of the carnival in the peasant year through thematic and musical guided tours. The programs also include presentations of objects related to love stories.

The event will be complemented by film screenings and concerts. According to the museum, educational materials are also available for those who cannot attend the events: digital auxiliary materials and archive recordings present the folk customs of the carnival.

Source: MTI.hu