Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Hungary Mohács Busójárás

Busójárás

Festival of Perpetual Life and Rebirth.

Mohács, Hungary

Added By
Rick
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
A monster with two smaller monsters in tow.   Themightyquill/CC BY-SA 2.5
Monster march   elekesmagdi on Flickr
The monsters performing   morphan on Flickr
Burning an effigy   elekesmagdi on Flickr
Horny monster   elekesmagdi on Flickr
Three monsters in a boat   elekesmagdi on Flickr
Monster masks   elekesmagdi on Flickr
A happy monster   zsoolt on Flickr
The monsters take a break   morphan on Flickr
Buso arrive across the Danube, 2018.   dorionc / Atlas Obscura User
Young Buso carrying the traditions into the future, 2018.   dorionc / Atlas Obscura User
2018 Festival Casket   dorionc / Atlas Obscura User
Festival Fire in Széchenyi tér, Mohács, 2018   dorionc / Atlas Obscura User
Girl watches monsters with skepticism   morphan on Flickr
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

During February in the small Hungarian town of Mohács, the townspeople dress as horned monsters, wander the town swilling spiced wine and homemade pálinka, and make as much noise as humanly possible.

Lasting for approximately one week, and ending the day before Ash Wednesday, Busójárás is a celebration and affirmation of life for the Šokci, the ethnic Croatian minority population living in Mohács. During the penultimate night of the festival, a man made of straw is carried by cart into the center of town and then burned in a bonfire while the townspeople hold hands and dance the kolo in a circle around the blaze.

Busójárás has much in common with other carnival festivals that celebrate the end of winter. However, according to the official story, the roots of the festival date back to the Battle of Mohács in 1526. As legend has it, the villagers dressed up as fearsome monsters and drove away the invading Turkish army.

The male busos wear a traditional sheepskin cloak, women’s wool stockings under men’s pants, and a carved monster mask. As master buso mask-maker Engelbert Antal believes, the buso’s mask isn’t to simply change his outer appearance—instead, it is to alter the person behind the mask. As such, each mask is crafted specifically for each buso. The woolen stockings are part of a carnival pagan tradition embracing the duality of male and female. Although there are now a few female busos, women who participate in the festival typically dress up in clothing reminiscent of female Ottoman Turks. During Carnival time, all rules are ignored and everything is permitted, and some claim that the excesses of the celebration were key to the small Šokci population’s survival in Mohács, as no one could question the parentage of children conceived during Busójárás.

During the festival there are numerous traditional music performances, costumed folk dancing, buso parades, and in between scheduled events, general mayhem. Like every Carnival celebration, alcohol is consumed in abundance, and the busos are often very, very drunk. Visitors to Busójárás should be warned that it’s nearly impossible to witness the carnival without somehow being dragged into it. It's common for adult spectators to have flour thrown on them, be offered drinks from large flasks of spiced wine, and to be groped and/or dry-humped (albeit for comic effect) by the busos.

Admission to the festival is free, although it’s best to arrange a place to stay ahead of time. Although it is possible to stay in Mohács itself, many visitors to the festival prefer to stay in one of the pensions available to rent in the nearby wine region of Villány.

Related Tags

Cultures And Civilizations Wondrous Performances Rites And Rituals Festivals

Know Before You Go

Two hours from Budapest by car. It's also possible to take a bus to Mohács from Budapest's Népliget bus terminal.

Community Contributors

Added By

Rick

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, dorionc, jlord7

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • dorionc
  • jlord7

Published

January 1, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://ganchoverseas.blogspot.com/search?q=buso
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busójárás
Busójárás
Mohács, 7700
Hungary
45.995951, 18.679853
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Liberland

Croatia

miles away

Verdis

Kopačevo, Croatia

miles away

The Red Fićo

Osijek, Croatia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Hungary

Hungary

Europe

Places 104
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Liberland

Croatia

miles away

Verdis

Kopačevo, Croatia

miles away

The Red Fićo

Osijek, Croatia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Hungary

Hungary

Europe

Places 104
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

Baby Jumping and Worm Charming: 60 of the World's Oddest Traditions

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • Chios Rocket War.

    Chios, Greece

    Chios Rocket War

    Two churches shoot bottle rockets at each others' bell towers in an unusual Easter celebration.

  • Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, France

    Fêtes de l’Ours (Festival of the Bears)

    Take black faced bears with giant clubs, white faced barbers wielding axes, hunters armed with shotguns, and mix in a lot of drinking.

  • Floats are pulled by teams of up to 100 men

    Kyoto, Japan

    Yamaboko Festival in Kyoto - Gion Festival

    Japan's largest and oldest annual procession of floats, begun in 869.

  • Other logs lie in wait for purchase and an eventual fireplace beating

    Barcelona, Spain

    Tió de Nadal

    Catalonia Tradition: Beating the hollow Christmas log until it defecates in your fireplace.

  • Contestants line up for the Tuff Shed Coffin Races

    Estes Park, Colorado

    Frozen Dead Guy Days

    An annual festival celebrating Colorado's most famous frozen corpse.

  • The wars.

    Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania

    The Pennsic War at Coopers Lake

    An otherwise quiet campground becomes a bustling medieval town for two weeks every year.

  • The Christmas Zamboni, Madrid Christmas Parade 2018

    Madrid, New Mexico

    Madrid Christmas Parade

    A ghost town revived by hippies and wanderers throws its own special brand of holiday parade.

  • El  Carnaval de la Vega. (bebeto/Atlas Obscura)

    La Vega, Dominican Republic

    El Carnaval de la Vega

    Largest pre-Lent festival in the Dominican Republic.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.