National holiday uniting the nation

August 17, 2012 5:00 PM

This afternoon the Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas opens the Festival of Folk Arts in the Buda Royal Castle. The festival will last until 20 August, and is one of the numerous events taking place this weekend in Budapest. Every year tens of thousands of visitors take part in events on 20 August to mark Hungary’s foremost national holiday, which falls on the anniversary of the burial and canonisation of Hungary’s state founder and first king, Stephen I (969-1038). Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén has said in an interview that the most important message of this national holiday is the unity of the nation.

The main celebrations will start on Sunday, with the opening at noon of the ‘Promenade of Hungarian Flavours’. Gastronomic specialties and concerts will await visitors, who will also have the opportunity to taste the Cake of Hungary. On Monday morning there will be a ceremonial raising of the national flag and a formal oath-taking ceremony for members of the military in front of the Parliament Building in Kossuth Square, followed by speeches from President of the Republic János Áder and Minister of Defence Csaba Hende.

Later in the day a spectacular air and water show will be held on the Danube, and the Parliament Building will be open to the public all day. In the afternoon the traditional blessing of bread will take place in Clark Ádám Square. This symbolic gesture greets the year's harvest, and it will be accompanied by a harvest procession. A variety of family programmes will also take place in Budapest, including pop and classical music concerts, dance shows and puppet theatre performances.

In the afternoon some of the world's top athletes will participate in the István Gyulai Memorial Athletics Grand Prix in the Puskás Ferenc Stadium, to be followed by a reception in honour of Hungarian Olympians.
Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Hungary's Catholic Primate, will say Holy Mass at Saint Stephen's Basilica, after which there will be the traditional procession of the relic of Saint Stephen's right hand (the ‘Holy Right’), along the following route: Szent István Square - Október 6 Street - József Attila Street - Széchenyi István Square - Zrínyi Street - Szent István Square.

The day’s celebrations will close with a spectacular fireworks display at 9 p.m., which can be best seen from the banks of the Danube, between Petőfi Bridge and Margit Bridge.