MaNDAHungarian National Digital Archive

From an ethnographic point of view, the family is the smallest social unit, its members being linked by blood ties and marriage. It was originally a patriarchal system, i.e. the senior male head of the family had control over the family's affairs and properties. There are small and large families, depending on the number of generations living under one roof, but the term family most often refers to the nuclear family, which is a community of parents and children.

Is it sacrilege that the first thing that comes to mind about the apostles is not twelve men but a restaurant in Budapest for many people? Maybe. The Apostles (Apostolok) restaurant and pub may be a profane place, but there was something sublime about it. Perhaps it was the pious apostles' faces above the dimly lit boxes that made you feel as if you had entered a chapel, where even the beer foamed in a solemn atmosphere. The first in our series (Legendary Restaurants) that is still in operation today, though a co-tenant with another legend, the Ice Buffet. 

Every year, the holidays of early November make us slow down and turn inwards. On All Saints' Day and the Day of the Dead, we remember and cherish the memory of our deceased loved ones - by lighting candles, visiting cemeteries, tending and decorating their graves. What does Hungarian folklore say about this? What are the forgotten customs surrounding this period? This time our exhibition tells about it. 

Although the legendary restaurant was only given the telling name of Kárpátia in the 20th century, it was already a catering establishment when the rental palace used as a venue was built. The Spolarich family, who ran several restaurants in Budapest in the 20th century, can be linked to the heyday of the restaurant. In this part of our series, we are going to tell the story of the Kárpátia. 

Living in a block of flats is a special experience: the sounds coming through the thin walls, the distinctive smell of linoleum on the stairway, the sound of the garbage chute, the sultriness in summer in the heated rooms, the aroma of food prepared next door - all of these can be familiar. Not to mention how the community and infrastructure of the housing estate - the playground, kindergarten, school or even the convenience store - were defining elements of the block life.