ATTENTION

 

ALL SOULS DAY and ALL SAINTS - HUNGARY NATIONAL HOLIDAY SINCE 2000

"According to folklore, the dead visit them during such times, so it is customary in many places to lay the table for them as well, put bread, salt, and water on the table.  The Hungarians of Bukovina also bake and cook for the dead and take the food to the cemetery and distribute it.  They light as many candles at home as many dead the family has.  In the villages along the river Ipoly, those who cannot go to the cemetery light candles at home on All Saints Day.  They used to observe whose candle burnt out first, because it was believed that they would be the first to die in the family.

Excerpt from :  HUNGARY TODAY - ALL SOULS FOLKLORE  More regional folklore here and gorgeous photos...

Just a note that I have always thought that the term All Souls Day and the term All Saints Day indicated the same holiday but I was wrong, All Souls is for the ancestors but All Saints is for the saints we know about and the saints we do not know about.  In Catholicism it is understood that many a saintly person lived in obscurity.  However, prayer to help those who have not yet gone to heaven to be with God can be said especially on these days, or truly any time.  These souls are able to be released to heaven, and are not suffering eternally for the evil deeds they did when alive.

DO YOU KNOW A HUNGARIAN GHOST STORY?

 Please leave a comment!  Maybe a referral to a book or article?

HALLOWEEN - A TIME TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE ANCESTORS

To read past posts about Ancestor Worship, Halloween in Hungary, and Halloween in the United States, just use the search feature embedded in the sidebar of this blog!

ALL SOULS DAYS : FOR THE ANCESTORS

TIME TO WORSHIP YOUR HUNGARIAN HERITAGE!

As you may know Hungarians in Hungary have no cultural tradition like Americans have developed over Halloween, and frankly I'm glad to know that.  That's because Halloween, which started out as a Celtic spiritual celebration of one's ancestors, and communication with them though dead in mystical ways, has turned into a celebration of violence and horror, and all sorts of strange and often criminal behavior, especially in films.

I don't find horror films enjoyable or worth watching.  I think they can do dangerous things to our psyche.  I don't want the bad dreams they inspire. 

I find All Soul's Day much more interesting.  This is a celebration of the dead, the ancestors, a remembrance of them, that occurs about this time in many cultures that have strong historical roots in Catholicism.  Even if you aren't religious or from an ethnic heritage that celebrates the ancestors at this time of the year,  dedicating an evening to gathering to discuss family history, going through old photos, or working on your genealogy, can be inspiring.

For instance, when I think of my ancestors who immigrated from Hungary, I know that some of them wanted to go back to Hungary, one of them managed to visit there several months a year for many years, but most got to the United States knowing there was no turning back. 

Still in a graveyard in Hungary there are a great number of ancestors of mine who I have never visited.  I can't help but wonder about these people who came before mine, and who genetically contributed to who I am.  I know about most of them not through stories because I was born after those who had the stories had died, but through genealogical research.  Of course I wish they would "speak" to me and nudge me towards the best records so that when I write of them, I can represent them truthfully.

At this time of year I light candles for some of those who have passed before me, hoping though that they have gone on to greater things in the afterlife and in their spiritual journey, hoping that they have not hung around this earth to watch over me which might delay their progress that they have earned through living decent lives, and being people you would want to know, and just may, someday.

Christine
Maygar-American Blog

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OLD HUNGARIAN DNA and HUNGARIAN HISTORY : ősmagyar dna-magyar őstörténelem

This YouTube presented video entitled : the old-hungarian dna and the hungarian history-ősmagyar dns-magyar őstörténelem and features music by singer Lorrena McKennit called "Night Ride Across the Caucasus."

ALL SOULS DAY IS a H U G E HOLIDAY OF ANCESTOR WORSHIP IN HUNGARY

I do my ancestor worship through genealogy and history research.  It is through this research that I have learned so much about people I never knew or even heard about because my Hungarian-heritage parent had not either. 

At one point in my research I got the impression that a spirit was watching over my shoulder as I constructed family charts. It was very quiet and there was a .. presence. 

I also had a dream during a period of intense research of someone - the hands were ghostly mist - coming to me and showing me who they were; if I ever see a photograph of the woman that those ghostly hands held I will know.

DUMNEAZU's blog here is fascinating (with wonderful pictures!) and you can link to it and find out that there is NO HALLOWEEN IN HUNGARY but ALL SOULS DAY is H U G E !