BÚÉK! Don’t be surprised to hear this greeting at midnight on 31 December on the streets of Budapest. This is the most common Hungarian phrase to start the new year. But, it’s not the whole thing. As you can probably guess from the capital letters, this is an acronym as Hungarians don’t like to speak a lot while they're partying. Come and raise a glass with our Hungarian survival kit for seeing in 2022!
So, to keep it
simple, the acronym BÚÉK! stands for Boldog új évet kívánok!, I wish (you) a Happy New Year! It also stands for another expression used by Christians in Hungary, which goes: Bízd újra életed Krisztusra! – 'Entrust your life to Christ'. That’s the
creative religious version of the BÚÉK greeting, as it’s made up of the exact
same letters.
Hungarians particularly like this short version as it’s snappy,
handy and everyone understands it. So, all in all, the phrase is an easy win.
Hungarians usually spend New Year’s Eve with friends either at a house party or at a bar. Champagne is the traditional drink which welcomes 2022 this time and it most probably comes from the Hungarian Törley factory on the outskirts of Budapest.
On the last night of the old year, Hungarians traditionally eat pork roasted in beer, virsli frankfurters and lentil soup. These healthy pulses hold the superstition that if you eat a lot of them, you’ll be rich the following year.
As everywhere else, people buy firecrackers to let them off at midnight, so if you own any pets, make sure to keep them safely indoors. Typical Hungarian New Year’s Eve celebrations are pretty wild – and don't forget the fireworks over the Danube at midnight!
When the
clock hand hits 12, the national anthem plays and everyone bursts into a sequence of BÚÉKs. And if you're looking for a resolution this year, why not promise yourself to get to know this beautiful language a little better?
A very Happy New Year from everyone at We Love Budapest! BÚÉK!
