Three by Five: St. Istvan's Day

Every year on August 20th, the Hungarian people celebrate St. Istvan's Day (St. Stephen's Day- In English). It's their "Fourth of July," so to speak. The celebration actually starts the day before with a lots of food, which you know I'm totally down with. In Buda, near the castle, the street that runs along the Danube is closed off to trams and traffic, and food vendors bring all kinds of Hungarian staples and delicacies for people to try. There's stuffed cabbage, wine, cheese, pastries, goulash; I could go on!!!! People come from all over Hungary to sell their farm-fresh items, and there are various artisans selling lace and other Hungarian things. It's pretty amazing.

I spent a few hours wandering around, sampling various items, and- of course- taking a million pictures. On St. Istvan's Day I went back to Castle Hill to try some of the amazing stuffed cabbage that I saw the day before. Of course, it rained buckets for an hour, while I stood under a tree with my umbrella, trying to keep my camera and lenses from getting soaked. That stuffed cabbage was totally worth it, though! Unfortunately, it started pouring not long after I finished my meal, and I ended up back home, hoping that it would let up. Due to this, I missed some of the other cool events of the day: the Blessing of the Bread and Harvest Procession, and the Procession of St. Stephen's Holy Hand. The rain finally stopped, and just in time for the huge fireworks display that goes off over the Danube. Definitely one of my favorite days in Budapest, so far! For a more thorough overview of this important Hungarian holiday, go HERE.