MaNDAHungarian National Digital Archive

Saint George’s Day, celebrated on April 24th, has been regarded in several European cultures as the beginning of spring. Even ancient Roman shepherds held various rituals during this period, and within the Christian tradition, the feast of Saint George the Dragon Slayer was placed on this date. In Hungarian folk tradition, it is also a significant spring day - its customs rooted in pagan rituals. Our current exhibition explores these traditions, along with the figure of Saint George himself and the symbolism of the dragon.

Easter is considered to be the greatest holiday in the Christian world, however, due to the additional holidays and customs associated with it, we prefer to name this period as the Easter holiday circle. In addition to its biblical implications, it is also referred to as the Feast of Coming of Spring. Since there is no set date for the Easter holiday, it is related to the spring equinox, the first full moon that follows, and is therefore considered a moving holiday. In the frame of my writing, we take a brief look at biblical relevance and festive traditions.

Love fades away slowly, especially if it is platonic. How many untold words and missed opportunities are hidden behind tiny little memories and letters? Waiting, suffering, the joy, the pain and many more sentiments could be hidden in a young girl’s heart, when she decided to give up her desires. Whether provincial prudery or a moral question stood behind this? Anyway, could you keep a secret like your love is Endre Ady for decades? Today’s selection highlights this mysterious relationship; with Endre Ady, Illi Kíváncsi (Curious), the family Varga and their relatives.

Ferenciek Square owes its present form to the regulation of downtown Pest, but even more so to the construction of the Erzsébet Bridge. It is unfortunate that the narrow, winding little streets, the old city hall of Pest and many shops on Kígyó Square also fell victim to such a large-scale plan. However, the bridge needed a road to divert traffic to it. This is how the image of the square, which is the structural centre of the capital, changed at the turn of the century, and so new buildings were born, such as the Klotild palaces that still dominate the square.

Curiosity is a fundamental human trait, and who wouldn’t want to know who they are, where they come from, who their ancestors were, or what occupations they held in the distant past? Were they farmers or perhaps nobility? Today, in addition to archives, extensive research can also be conducted in online databases to answer these questions. Our exhibition touches on the methodology and possibilities of genealogical research and, as an aid to research, offers access to our database containing thousands of portrait photographs, group pictures, and other written documents to help discover possible relatives.