On 31 March, one of the capital's most colourful cultural festivals, the Bartók Spring International Arts Weeks, kicked off with more than two weeks of exquisite music, shows, and dance performances. One of the most topical and eagerly awaited performances of the Easter season will take place at Müpa Budapest. Last year, the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble presented its Easter-themed dance piece, His Cross Blossomed, to great acclaim, and this year it will be performed at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall on April 9th.

There will be no shortage of events this spring, with the Bartók Spring’s diverse cultural programme of classical and world music, dance performances, shows, exhibitions, and film screenings. From 31 March to 16 April, you can enjoy world-famous Czech and London Philharmonic orchestras, exciting jazz performances, special events such as a children's opera, and the much-anticipated performance of the emblematic indie rock band, EELS.

The festival, named after Béla Bartók, coincides with the Easter period, so the organisers are preparing for the holidays with a great line-up of performances. Last year, the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble presented the dance piece His Cross Blossomed, which focuses on the customs and traditions of the Easter cycle, to great acclaim.

The dance performance draws on the liturgies of different denominations as well as on the ancient folk customs and songs of the Carpathian Basin's far-flung regions. The Easter rituals of Szeklerland and Rábaköz, of Slovakia and the Southern Great Plain – both those connected with Christianity and those evoking the pagan period – are interwoven to form a unified stage.

"The exciting musical fabric of the performance consists not only of folk songs, religious folk tunes, and dance music but also the Easter-themed songs of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, Greek Catholic, and Orthodox churches, as well as archaic folk prayers. Most of the latter is rooted in the distant past, the time before the conversion to Christianity."

"The exciting musical fabric of the performance consists not only of folk songs, religious folk tunes, and dance music but also the Easter-themed songs of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, Greek Catholic, and Orthodox churches, as well as archaic folk prayers. Most of the latter is rooted in the distant past, the time before the conversion to Christianity."

His Cross Blossomed will be performed on 9 April at 7 pm in the concert hall of Müpa Budapest. Tickets are available here.

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