This is the great view we had from our flat of the St Stephens day fireworks. The dome is from the Parliment building that sits on the Danube.
We thought we better at least know a bit about who Stephen was so we looked him up. He is not the boxing day Steve that the rest of the Christian world is familiar with but an 11th century Hungarian ruler. He converted to Christianity and was aided by the Vatican to set up Hungary as a more formally unified country. Before this the Magyars ( who are modern day Hungarians) were relatively new to Hungary, a nomadic tribe that could have gone the way of the Huns if this formal order wasnt imposed.
From the end of the 15th century until 1989 apart from a few short intervals Hungary has been under foreign rule from a number of different empires. This seems to make the national holiday a bit more meaningful. The mood on the streets was festive but calm . People dressed in traditional clothes and paraded and lots of stalls were set up with traditional foods.
From the end of the 15th century until 1989 apart from a few short intervals Hungary has been under foreign rule from a number of different empires. This seems to make the national holiday a bit more meaningful. The mood on the streets was festive but calm . People dressed in traditional clothes and paraded and lots of stalls were set up with traditional foods.
I saw a few people with this funny t-shirt - Spencer is a iconic spaghetti western actor here.
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