November is a special month in Hungary – not only do we take special time to honour the dead and consume less alcohol, but it’s also a time to talk about men's health. Specifically, trams in Budapest are now wearing moustaches, the aim being to draw attention to the importance of going in for a prostate exam. It’s Movember – moustache + November!
The Movember movement began in Australia in 1999, and has since spread worldwide. The symbol of the moustache to represent the movement has a backstory: “No-Shave November” encourages men to let their beards and moustaches grow out, so it seemed natural to incorporate the symbolism into Movemeber.
This year in November, the Japanese medical company Astellas Pharma has launched a Movember campaign, which in turn inspired Budapest Transport Company BKK – and thus the 4/6 trams have grown out their whiskers! Information posters have been placed at the stops to raise awareness of the importance of prostate cancer control and prevention.
