Christmas survival in Budapest

Christmas is literally around the corner. You can smell it in the air, represented by the fist few drops of snow, decorations steadily filling shop windows, the sun melting away at 415 pm and steaming forralt bor served up to cold lips and fingertips in bars.
Families will soon gather together, soaking up the festivities in small towns, leaving the usual throbbing city centre docile and sleepy. Apart from the remaining locals, there will also be a community of expats whose native homes are not accessible by a quick train or flight ride. I included, I might add.
So, what it is like to be in Budapest during the winter holidays when home is Columbia, Georgia or Australia? As we discover, the cultural and atmospheric variations are rich and plentiful.  

Luis Páez

Luis Páez Gaitán has been living in Budapest for only three months. And yes, he is here because of the ‘L’ word. He met his Hungarian girlfriend while working on a cruise liner, and has spent an exciting thirteen years travelling the world thanks to his past profession. Now, it’s time to settle into reality, and Budapest for the time being will be the last port of call. Luis hails from the capital city Bogotá in Columbia, and the third highest city in the world. The population comprises of ten million inhabitants, sitting on a high plateau in the Andes Mountains, with an agreeable yearly climate to boot. Luis finds Budapest intimate in comparison, and (to our surprised horror) the drivers educated and considerate compared with the motoring chaos that characterizes his native city.  
Luis will be experiencing his first Christmas in Budapest this year, and is so far coping with the cold weather. He is already a fan of Hungarian cuisine and will spend the Christmas period with his girlfriend’s family. So far though, Luis has yet to witness the Christmas cheer floating through the streets of Budapest. For him, the Hungarian identity projected is a slightly depressing one and he is eager to observe the impending season frivolity.  

Up in the mountains

 Grinning, he tells us about Christmas in Bogotá and the traditional elements which make up the family fun fare: coming from a family of two brothers and four sisters, one can have no misgivings about what the celebrations must be like. Ninety per cent of the population is Roman Catholic and on December 1 the Christmas tree is displayed, along with the Pesebre (Nativity Scene) being the focal point of the religious holiday.
Between December 16 and 24, families gather together to pray around the Pesebre and sing Villancicos- specific hymns narrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a social ritual, often incorporating friends, rotating within the neighborhood every evening, ending in the consumption of wine and cookies. This is an integral element leading up to December 24, where the feasting and exchange of gifts commences. Fireworks are also exhibited throughout the revelry.  
And the food?  Agico is the main dish, a soup blended with chicken, vegetables and beans garnished with a white cream sauce and capers to provide the final kick. Dessert comes courtesy of the mothers and grandmothers of the family, traditionally a milk/rice pudding called natilla.  
Luis has noticed the gradual commercialization of Christmas, indicative of Western ideals and consumerism in Columbia. He tells us that the commercialized constituents of Christmas resonate in Bogotá as much as anywhere else. Luis’s main concern is the impact this has on children. The emphasis should be on the value of family- a vital component of life not to be taken for granted. After all, he smiles; Christmas is about the gift of life.
Davit Mikeladze has already experienced his first Christmas in Budapest last year, and is now prepared for his second. After completing his MA in Political Science at the prestigious Central European University, Davit’s decision to move to Budapest permanently was influenced by the picturesque Heroes Square at the end of his study sessions.  Davit’s hometown is Batumi, the capital of Adjara in southwest Georgia. A subtropical zone, boasting citrus fruits and tea, developed economical status and an amiable yearly climate; it is a world away from the Hungarian capital.

Davit Mikeladze

The orthodox way  

Davit recalls his surprise at the Christmas quiet descending on the city last year. Notably the shut- down of transportation and bars and clubs was unanticipated and it became apparent how family- oriented the Hungarian Christmas period really is. The Christmas cycle in Georgia is centralized around the Orthodox religion- the dominant faith in the nation. Christmas day is actually celebrated on January 7, and December 25 is treated as a normal working day. Prior to Jan 7, a fast is followed, disallowing meat and dairy products. The forty day fast is heartily broken with a family meal on January 7. Christmas and New Years Eve are intertwined, with Georgians celebrating two New Year’s Eves- the festivities occurring on the 31st, and the second New Years Eve on January 13, keeping in time with the Georgian Calendar.
The Georgian Christmas tree is a wooden (sometimes) hazelnut branch, carved into curled branches. Decorations include glass toys, family antiquities and collectibles from different places, signifying a myriad of cultures and heritage. The Christmas and New Year’s feasts described by Davit conjure up mouthwatering images. Honey-coated nuts (goyinaki) baked in fire by his grandmother, and fragrant boiled turkey complemented with a nut sauce are some of the staple delicacies on Davit’s family Christmas table.
The Georgian Father Christmas goes by the name of ‘Grandfather Snow’, traditionally portrayed by a long white beard, attired in the national costume, serving the similar purpose of the Western Santa Clause. Davit comments on the early start of the Christmas period here in Budapest. Not dissimilar to the West, shops are boasting gift ideas and decorations in mid October, while in Georgia; the promotion of the season begins at the relaxed stage around the middle of December. Understatedly, he recognizes the effect of globalization and the capitalist domination the Christmas spirit inevitably succumbs to.  
Granted, Davit will miss the closeness of his family this year and tolerate the freezing temperatures- rationalizing with a smile, ‘what can you do about it?’ He is also disappointed by the absence of a Georgian Orthodox church to call into.  What he will enjoy is the celebration among friends from his university, and what he describes as his ‘positive decision to move to Budapest’ and the appreciation of his adopted home away from home.
As for me, I’m going to miss the sun. I’m going to miss my Grandmother’s seafood spread, and the sizzle of the barbeque while watching the men of the family take over the all important grilling of steaks and sausages.
I’m going to miss staying up late and taking in the summery evening, relishing the closeness of family that is inherent to all cultures that commemorate Christmas and its significance. I am, however, looking forward to improving my ice skating skills, walking along an ornately lit up Andrássy út, the Christmas markets with all those treats, sledding in the snow-dusted streets of Fonyód and sitting around a ridiculously food laden table with my boyfriend’s family. I’m looking forward to the exchanging of gifts on the 24th (I have to wait one day later back in Melbourne), and the dissolving of language barriers through gestures of giving, receiving and most of all, lots of love. Hungary may be a million miles away from my roots, but Christmas is definitely not.