The festical starts Thursday across 15 locations and offers over 160 traditional programs - with approximately 110,000 visitors expected to attend. On Saturday and Sunday, the riverside town is preparing to welcome 40-45 thousand visitors, MTI reports.

Mohács residents are set to welcome visitors with folklore performances, traditional dance group presentations, dance houses, shows by Busó (masked) groups, along with activities for children and families.

On the first day of the event, from 'Fat Thursday' to Shrove Tuesday, the focus will be on young people: school folk dance groups will perform, competitions will be held, and among the masked marching participants, children in traditional costumes will celebrate Farsang in the town. In the evening, dance houses with the participation of Busó, will take place.

* Friday sees an exhibition featuring Busó mask carvers and other folk artists will open, folklore performances and concerts are scheduled in the Busóudvar, a book about Baranya Croatian folk costumes will be presented on the Market Square, and a Croatian dance house will be held with Versendi Kovács József and his band.

* Saturday offers insights into the traditional crafts of making Mohács Sokac costumes. Tamburica orchestras, folk dance ensembles, and Busó groups will hold displays, a wedding procession will take place, and the folk arts and crafts fair will open.

* Sunday sees participants witnessing the Busó groups prepare for Farsang. There will be a puppet concert, food tasting, and in the afternoon, the Busós will cross the Danube to Sokacrév by boat, marking the start of the largest procession of this folk tradition.

* Monday's events include an interactive children's Farsang workshop, and Busós will follow tradition by going from house to house in Kóló Square and the surrounding streets. On Tuesday, after the afternoon parade, the giant bonfire in the main square will be lit, symbolizing the burning of winter.

Living Hungarian History

This year, evening sessions of the South Slavic dance houses at Mohácsi Piac are going to be held for free. The famous Farsang event, adopted by the Mohács Sokac ethnic group, is first mentioned in records dating from 1783.

According to legend, the clever ancestors of the ethnic groups settled around Mohács during the Ottoman occupation, fled to Mohács Island on the opposite bank of the Danube, to escape the Turkish invasion. Disguised in masks, the Sokac people returned, crossed the river and ambushed the superstitious Turks who were terrified by the frightening masked figures, and fled the town fearful of losing their heads.

The elements of this winter-expelling, spring-welcoming folk tradition have remained unchanged for centuries: adults dressed in shaggy Busó coats, canvas trousers and boots, and wearing carved masks, together with distinctive accessories such as pouches, maces, giant rattles and bells, bid farewell to the harsh season and welcome spring.

In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included Busójárás on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising it as the first element from Hungary.

Source:
You can find more information and details of programs, venues and more on their website in Hungarian:
mohacsibusojaras.hu

Proofread by:
Marion Merrick 
Language editor and author: Now You See It, Now You Don’t  / Surprising Expats / Budapest Retro


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