The good, the bad, and the downright fascinating: Budapest at a glance, part III

Apart from the straightforward 'good and bad', living in a new country comes with many intricacies and fascinations that are not necessarily pros or cons, but simply interesting observations to take in. Moving to Hungary, a very traditional nation that prides itself in its unique customs and Eastern European culture, gave me more than enough of these observations to learn about and admire.

I wanted to close off this three-part series with just a few fun facts and interesting nuggets of knowledge about my new home.

If any of what I’ve discussed has piqued your interest, I’d encourage you to book a trip to the beautiful, historical, and culturally rich city of Budapest to see it for yourself and formulate your own opinion.

Names

In Hungary, a person’s family name (surname) commonly precedes their given name when spoken or written. For example, on many of my official documents, cards and permits, my name reads as TJASINK AMY GRACE.

As part of an old Hungarian tradition, babies can only be named from a registry of approved names. This rule is followed in order to keep traditional Hungarian names in use, and so that Name Days can be nationally celebrated.

But the list of names that parents can choose from is very long and frequently updated, and new names can be submitted for revision by parents that have a specific name in mind that is not on the registry.

Specific names on the registry are assigned Name Days. Name Days are celebrated by all those with the given name allocated to that day.

Similar to birthdays, they are enjoyed by family and friends and commonly involve presents, flowers or meals eaten together. For example, today’s date, the 19th of July, is the Name Day of Emília.

St Stephen’s Basilica

Standing at 96 metres tall, the famous St Stephen’s Basilica is the tallest building in Budapest, along with the city’s Parliament building. The matching heights of these two structures symbolise the equal significance of worldly and spiritual thinking.

For a long period of time, the construction of any building within city limits that surpassed this height was prohibited. This iconic Roman Catholic house of worship is named after the first king of Hungary, whose incorruptible right hand sits on display inside a reliquary within the church.

The building’s construction took over half a century to complete.

Cigarette Sales

Back in South Africa, cigarettes can be easily bought at grocery stores, convenience stores and petrol stations. Although I’m not a smoker, it was still interesting to me that, here in Hungary, cigarettes are not widely sold at a variety of vendors but can only be bought from specific tobacco shops.

All cigarette boxes are generic and brand-neutral, displaying only the name of the brand and variant in small, generic text on the box.

Easter

It is common to see souvenirs of painted eggs sold in Budapest and across Hungary.

These souvenirs are symbolic of a common Easter tradition, whereby girls paint or dye eggs with beautiful patterns and prepare traditional meals while they wait for suitors to come to their homes and sprinkle them with water or perfume.

This tradition has faded away in the modern city of Budapest, but is still practiced in some countryside towns in Hungary.

I'm sure I've only just scratched the surface regarding Hungary's fascinating customs and uniqueness, so maybe I'll have to provide an update to this post in the future.

In my next blog post, I'll take you on my first European adventure - a long weekend in Vienna, Austria!