Farsang, Miskolc Carnival

What is Farsang?

Yes, it was as cold and wet as it looks.  And yes, we were
surprised there were so many people there.

Time to say Goodby to Old Man Winter and Welcome to the Goddess of Spring.  January 6, the last day of Christmas, is the beginning of Hungary's very own winter carnival, called Farsang.   

Not wanting to miss a cultural activity so close to home, we braved the cold slushy snow on Saturday, February 3rd to attend the Farsang carnival.  We were surprised to see many other brave wet souls. We felt sorry, however, for all the vendors since not many people were buying food and other goods.  Luckily, Sunday was a beautiful sunny day and people came out in crowds. (We didn't - we were at church, of course)  We bought our stew in a bread bowl as a "take away" and returned home to eat in the warmth of our home.  Last year's festival was much colder, but at least it was dry and we sat at a table to eat.  This year, the tables were all covered with an inch of slush.  I wish I had taken a picture of the tables and our yummy bread bowls.  😞☔ 

One of our favorite Hungarian treats are Kürtőskalács.  Kürtőskalács is made from sweet, yeast dough (raised dough), of which a strip is spun and then wrapped around a truncated cone–shaped baking spit, and rolled in granulated sugar. It is roasted over charcoal while basted with melted butter, until its surface cooks to a golden-brown color. During the baking process the sugar stuck on the kürtőskalács caramelises and forms a shiny, crispy crust. The surface of the cake can then be topped with additional ingredients such as ground walnut or powdered cinnamon.

 

Spiral cut potato chips.  Haven't tried yet, but this is on my bucket list.

        

Fudge, candy and lots of sweets.

Not to be outdone by the big city bridges, Miskolc has its own
bridge full of locks.  An ancient custom, where lovers lock a padlock on a chain or gate and then throw away the key, symbolically locking their love forever.  Notice the combination lock - for those who are a little unsure that their love will last forever. 

Carnival rides - not many taking advantage of them today.  Sunday was a different story - or so we saw from a distance. 

Chestnuts roasting on
an open fire

As we were leaving, we came across this booth.  We have learned that we might find opportunities of partnerships for projects in the strangest ways.  This is an organization that provides an ambulance specifically for children.  They have ambulances in Budapest that are fancy and new.  The outlying areas such as Miskolc and Debrecen (close to Miskolc) have the older outdated medical equipment.  We are hoping to talk to them soon to see if LDS Charities can assist them in any way.