Easter rites and customs in Hungary

Abstract

The paper aims to summarize the Easter-time customs from the point of view of its “festivity”. This cycle of feasts is organized into several “sequences”. For the days before Easter it is typical to follow the pattern (given by Arnold Van Gennep): “rites of passage”, i.e. pre-liminal, liminal and post-liminal sequences. Within the singular customs there are several strata of human activity. During the whole of Easter time the everyday activity remains continuous, and it is characterized by its direct connection with the feast. During the Easter holidays proper, dramatic performances dominate. Lamenting Christ and celebrating the resurrection happen within the framework of folk theatre. Easter — one of the most important feasts in the festive year — is expressed on several strata: human activity, food, dress, acoustic and kinetic codes prevail, and visual and textural codes dominate as well. The analytic method, suggested in the paper might serve also the comparative European analysis of the ritual year.