| Busójárás | |
|---|---|
 Some maskedBusós. February 2006. | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Carnival |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Locations | Mohács, Hungary |
| Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival custom | |
|---|---|
| Country | Hungary |
| Reference | 00252 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2009 (4th session) |
| List | Representative |
TheBusójárás (Hungarian, meaning "Busó-walking"; in Croatian:Pohod bušara[1]) is an annual celebration of theŠokci living in the town ofMohács,Hungary, held at the end of theCarnival season ("Farsang"), ending the day beforeAsh Wednesday. The celebration featuresBusós (people wearing traditional masks) and includesfolk music,masquerading,parades anddancing. Busójárás lasts six days, usually during February. It starts on a Thursday, followed by theKisfarsang (Little Farsang) carnival on Friday, with the biggest celebration,Farsang vasárnap (Farsang Sunday) on the seventh Sunday beforeEaster Sunday; the celebration then ends withFarsangtemetés (Burial of Farsang) on the following Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday orMardi Gras). These traditional festivities have been inscribed on theRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of theUNESCO in 2009.[2]
Locals explain the Carnival with two related but different legends.
According to the most popular legend, during theOttoman times of the territory, people fromMohács fled the town, and started living in the nearby swamps and woods to avoid Ottoman (Turkish) troops. One night, while they were sitting and talking around the fire, an oldŠokac man appeared suddenly from nowhere, and said to them: "Don't be afraid, your lives will soon turn to good, and you'll return to your homes. Until that time, prepare for the battle, carve various weapons and scary masks for yourselves, and wait for a stormy night when a masked knight will come to you." He disappeared as suddenly as he arrived. The refugees followed his orders, and some days later, on a stormy night, the knight arrived. He ordered them to put on their masks and go back toMohács, making as much noise as possible. They followed his lead. The Turks were so frightened by the noise, the masks, and the storm in the night, that they thought demons were attacking them, and they ran away from the town before sunrise.
In the older, less popular story, thebusós are scaring away not the Turks but Winter itself.
In any case, the locals have celebrated the Busójárás in early February every year ever since, hosting "guest Busó teams" from neighbouring countries (Croatia and Serbia, localŠokci Croats and Slovenia) and also from Poland.
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