Hungary: Why Do We Have a Day-Off on March 15?

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Why Do We Have a Day-Off on March 15?

On March 15 – although it is a classical national holiday – one commemorates a historical event very much connected to general European history. This spring-day of 1848 is the date of the Hungarian revolution that belonged to the series of revolutions constituting the “Spring of Nations” also referred to as “Springtime of Peoples”. As an impact of the news about the revolutions of Paris and Vienna, a liberal fraction of Hungarian nobility took over the lead in the Diet and young intellectuals started to gather in the center of Pest (some led by liberal, some by national, many of them by both kinds of considerations). By the end of this famous day a list of 12 revolutionary demands were declared, among others the freedom of press and abolishment of censorship, establishment of a government and a parliament in Pest, equality before the law regardless of class status and religion. As it should be expected all the regimes leading Hungary since then found different interpretations for the revolution, and also the oppositions of all the regimes.

“Kokárda”: traditionally worn on March 15 to commemorate the revolution.

 For CEU students’ purposes the most important information is where the major commemorating events will take place, so that one can decide where to go to be involved in passionate mass events – or on the contrary, which places to avoid for the sake of finding tranquility. It is noteworthy that in these years none of the national holidays are celebrated by any party in a(n eventually boring) contemplative way. All the celebrations are rather purely political events with political speeches and participants get excited about them. Apolitical inhabitants of the city tend to go out of Budapest or stay at home, those whom you meet in the street on March 15 are likely to go to one (or more) of the celebrations. 

The prime minister’s official celebration will take place in the National Museum’s garden which is one of the symbolic places of the 1848 revolution. Not far away one can join the event of several opposition organizations, since Milla (One Million for the Freedom of Press in Hungary), DK (Democratic Coalition), MSZP (Hungarian Socialist Party) and Együtt 2014 will celebrate together in Kálvin square in late afternoon. Együtt 2014 is a new party, up until recently (March 8) it was an association of politicians, trade unions and private persons led by former Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai. The joint celebration of all these opposition organizations will try to show up the unified nature (which is not really the case) of the opposition aiming to defeat Fidesz in 2014.

Agnes Kelemen,

Hungary,

Nationalism Studies