Hollókő – Hungarian Easter Festival 2016

Hollókő Easter Festival 2016

26th-28th March

Hollókő, the venue hosting the event has been a World Heritage Site since 1987. The village, built in the 17th -18th century, was the first in the world to receive the title as a village due to the unique preservation of the traditional settlement form, traditional architecture and village life before the 20th century’s agricultural revolution in its original state.


Hungarian Cookery Book with DVDThe article you are reading is from the international award winner cookery book,
the Hungarian Culinary Art which is the part of the
Fancy Boxed Hungaricum Bundleavailable through the itsHungarian.com.

The book and the instructional DVD are now available for ordering – CLICK HERE!


Hollókő developed in a gentle and harmonious symbiosis with nature and hasn’t turned into an open-air museum village: it is a living, inhabited village until this day with certain buildings used by the local residents according to their traditional use. Furthermore the World Heritage Site protection also includes the medieval castle appearing above the village and the entire surrounding nature conservation area.

Húsvét (6)

The Hollókő Easter Festival has been attracting Hungarian and international visitors alike to the World Heritage village for over 20 years. The event recalls the Palócz Easter traditions presenting traditional folk groups, folk musicians, folk dancers, folk singers and folk craftsmen. The religious festivities played a distinguished role in the traditional community of Hollókő, which was complemented by the system of traditions and the rich world of legends and beliefs of the local residents.

 The Hollókő Easter Festival is the first event organised in the spring, which besides sacral traditions presents, passes on to the future generations and keeps on going the Palócz folk traditions in the only World Heritage site village of Hungary. Taking the popularity of the event extended in time and space and turned into a three-day series of programmes, the event is complemented with elements, which are closely linked to the mystery of Easter, however at the same time offer a novel experience to the visitors. The spraying of women with well water has always been inevitable part of Easter, which tradition has been kept alive until this day by the event.

2016_plakátn

Accordingly to the previous year, also in 2015 we would like to extend the event to the territory of the Hollókő Castle so that by the purchase of one single ticket we can make accessible the sights of the entire village free of charge to the visitors. This includes all museums, exhibition venues of the village and also the castle. These points of interest on their own represent a great value as the spectacular elements (cheese house, local milk-loaf bakery, dance house, Palócz workshop, spinning-room, etc.) set up in the frame of our investment established in 2014 (“Try your in Hollőkő”) will also be presented to the public in their entirety to the very first time. We would also like to include among the performers of the event the concerts of popular bands, which are presenting Hungarian folk music in a different manner. This new addition is aimed at targeting a wider target group, namely the significant group of young adult Budapest residents open to a lively cultural entertainment.

The Hollókő Easter Festival at the same time is also a folk art festival, where the representatives of various folk arts are involved, especially egg painters and wood carvers, having great traditions among the Palócz people. In 2016 as part of the Hollókő Easter Festival the selection of Hungaricums will also be presented alongside a dedicated space allocated to egg painters in a courtyard in order to introduce their arts and crafts in a more comprehensive manner. We are not forgetting about the women of Hollókő, who are presenting their hand-made embroideries and hand-woven fabrics to the public in the Hollókő Courtyard.

Húsvét

The event is organised in the Old Village of Hollókő and in the Hollókő Castle. The open-air stage located in the front part of the Old Village is a featured location hosting various theatre performances and concerts. The open-air stage with a floor space of 100 square metres will be equipped with a cover in order to protect the stage from weather impact. In the Old Village the other featured location is always the church hosting the festive masses and being the centre of the Easter procession. Spraying water on women, the other typical tradition of Easter will also be organised in the Old Village, usually in the square located in front of the church. Accordingly the areas used as major venues are the typical locations of the village, which also contribute to a high quality event.

The Festival is the largest event of the village, which is visited every year by nearly 10 to 15.000 people on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. The events offer an opportunity for Palócz traditionalists, folk dancers and folk singers to present the folk traditions of the area and the Easter-related customs. In two days nearly 100 performers will participate at the event, being mainly permanent participants year by year. A craft fair and handicraft show is organised alongside the event. In the village the Easter festival is a true community-builder event, as everyone in the village puts on their traditional folk costumes and participates in one way or other at the event organisation.

Húsvét (3)

In 2016 the Hollókő Easter Festival will be a three-day event (26th-28th March 2016). By the purchase of the central ticket all museums, exhibition venues of the village and also the castle can be visited (without any extra charges) every day, including also parking. Saturday will be organised in the spirit of gastronomy, as the Easter ham will be prepared also on this day. Our event is also planning to serve as a venue for famous gastronomic events of the Palócz land making our event more colourful and providing an opportunity for them to present their delicacies to a wider audience and to promote their summer events. On Saturday, after the resurrection mass SZALÓKI ÁGI and the Band will entertain the guests. On Easter Sunday and Easter Monday the program are starting with the morning Easter mass and on Sunday with the procession and it continues within the entire area of the Old Village. Here locals dressed in traditional folk costumes with folk dancers will fill up the streets of the village. They will spray passing by visitors with water and will present their Easter traditions. Palócz folk dancers, local folk dancers and various concerts will be presented on the open-air stage making the event even more colourful.

Planned detailed program

4th April 2015 Holy Saturday

On Saturday we are planning to organise an imposing gastronomic event, which refers to the presentation of the most significant gastronomy-related events of the Palócz land at one place. Due to this our event is a little bit more colourful and at the same time we can promote other summer events taking place at other Palócz towns and villages thus strengthening Palócz identity and cooperation.

The residents of Hollókő will also introduce the ins and outs of Easter food making to the visitors. Various courtyards of the Old Village will offer culinary experience to the visitors making the venue of the entire festival more colourful and live. The towns and villages visiting Hollókő will bring along their traditionalists, who will also entertain the public at their own courtyards.

2016_plakát

At the end of the Holy Mass starting at 5.00 p.m. the bells will go off marking the official end of the Easter Lent. The traditionalists of the villages and towns will also participate at the Holy Mass making the Saturday mass even more interesting and colourful. After the Holy Mass on the open-air stage the party carries on, we can enjoy the live concert of SZALÓKI ÁGI and the Band until the evening hours. The concert is followed by street music!

11-17.00:          Continuous gastronomic and traditional programs and presentation of Easter traditions in the courtyards of the Old Village

17.00:   Holy Saturday mass

18.00    SZALÓKI ÁGI and the Band – concert will be held in the Visitor House at the beginning of the Old Village (Hollóköves Café)

20.00    Promenade concerts

Easter Sunday and Easter Monday

26th -28th March 2016

On Easter Sunday and Monday the programs are starting with the morning Easter mass and on Sunday with the Easter procession and the events carry on within the entire area of the Old Village.

logosubHere locals dressed in traditional folk costumes with folk dancers will fill up the streets of the village who will spray passing by visitors with water and will present their Easter traditions. The participants can recall a real Easter festivity in Hollókő at the beginning of the 20th century. The streets of the Old Village lightened up by a wood carver and egg painter meeting, handicraft fair, the introduction of Hungaricums and a folk playground will fully captivate younger and older visitors of the event. This year will be the second time that visitors can also pay a visit to the Kerekes Band courtyard, where young folk concerts will be presented! On the open-air stage programs are starting early afternoon by the introduction of the Hollókő people and performances of Palócz folk dancers. In 2016 we would like to continue the Best sprayer of Hollókő competition. The winner will be a visitor, who completes several playful games the most successfully. After that music will play the most important role as folk music and modern folk performances will be welcomed in Hollókő! We would like to host performances, which are already very popular at world music stages and to turn this event, and through the even our village more attractive for a new target audience.

Hollókő Old Village

9.30    Easter Mass

10.30  Easter procession

11.00  Morning dance house with the Nógrád Group

11.45  Hollókő spraying at the church

11.55  Hollókő spraying at the lower well

12:30  Kerekes Band concert in the Kerekes Band yard

12.55  Singing and dancing at the church

13.15  Mikszáth and Iglice fairy play

14.00  Dance and music a lá Nógrád style

15.00  Mikszáth and Iglice fairy play

15.30 Afternoon dance house with the Nógrád Group

Easter Sunday – 27th March 2016

Hollókő Old Village entrance stage

11.00    Opening ceremony, introduction of Hollókő

11.45    Mikszáth and Iglice Dance Assemblies

12.15    Dobroda band

12.30    Nógrád Dance Assembly

13.00    Fair stilt walkers show

13.30    Buda Folk Band concert

14.30    Palócz storyteller

17.00    MUZSIKÁS concert

 

Hollókő Old Village

10.00  Big, joint Easter spraying

11.00  Morning dance house with the Nógrád Group

11.45  Hollókő spraying at the church

11.55  Hollókő spraying at the lower well

12.00  Agyagbanda concert in the Kerekes Band yard

12.55  Singing and dancing at the church

13.15  Zobonka and Iglice fairy play

14.00  Dance and music a lá Nógrád style

15.00  Zobonka and Iglice fairy play

15.30 Afternoon dance house with the Nógrád Group

 

Easter Monday – 28th March 2016

Hollókő Old Village entrance stage

11.00 Opening ceremony, introduction of Hollókő

11.45 Zobonka and Iglice Folk Dance Assemblies

12.15 Dobroda band

12.30 Nógrád Folk Dance Assembly

13.00 Palócz storyteller

13.30 GÓBÉ band concert

15.30 KEREKES BAND concert

The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the program on all three days!

 

Entrance ticket prices on every day of the event:

Adult:                                               3.000 HUF

Student (10-18 years), pensioners:     2.000 HUF

Free entry for children under the age of 10!

Free entrance for persons with disability and for persons suffering from hearing and vision disorders upon presentation of their disability card! 1 guide person is allowed upon purchase of a student ticket!

Free entry for the representatives of the press upon presentation of their badge and submitting a business card!

 

The entrance ticket to the event includes the entry fee to the Hollókő museums, exhibitions and to the Castle!