HUNGARIAN FESTIVAL ARIZONA

A family oriented festival, our Hungarian Heritage Festival of Arizona (aka HunFest) offers plenty of activities for children, but also for adults.

Of course, the children of our own Napocska School will perform traditional children’s dances and songs for our audience to showcase our colourful culture. However, we don’t forget about them and the children in our audience before and after the show.

We offer activities through which children – and their parents – can learn about our culture in a fun and engaging way.

Experience The Ancient Hungarian Way Of Life In A Traditional Yurt

During our HunFest, we often showcase a traditional yurt, a round tent with a cupola, that used to serve as homes for our nomadic ancestors. Though they served in nomadic times, yurts were used much longer in Hungary, up to the 1300s.

The yurt you’ll see at our HunFest is a representation of the original – after all, the original yurts were much bigger, constructed on a wooden frame and covered with felt.

The yurt brought to our HunFest by Turul Culture offers an insight into the lives of our ancestors, showcasing not only the yurt, but traditional artifacts, toys and clothing. In the yurt area children can wear traditional ancient Hungarian clothing, cook delicious meals on our pretend fire, and play with cornhusk dolls, among other activities.

They can also play traditional Hungarian drums, an instrument important for ancient Hungarians.

Children Can Try Their Hand At Archery

Near the yurt, children can step into the shoes of our ancestors by trying their hand at archery.

Archery is one of the ancient Hungarian traditions, one that we are known for all over the world. The Hungarian bow has a unique shape, reproduced in the ones children can try at our HunFest. Wearing replicas of our ancestors’ nomad hats, they can use these special bows and through this role-lay understand our ancestors better.

Leather-Crafts

Leather crafting is another important Hungarian tradition, and we offer a workshop for leather-crafting, where children (and adults) can make small leather items, like hairpins, or keychains.

Other Activities For Children

We also have several different children’s games, face painting, and even balloon animals for children.

Of course, not all of our activities are just for children.

Not Only For Children: Whip Cracking (Ostorozás)

Our audience can also try another Hungarian tradition, whip cracking. The Hungarian whip was – and is still – used primarily for herding.

However, Hungarian herders don’t slap the cattle with it, then use the sound of the whip to make the animals go in the right direction. So, it is important to know how to make this unique, snappish, extremely loud, sound.

The Hungarian whip is made with an often highly decorated wooden handle, and a thong attached to it, with a cracker (sudár) attached to it. the length of the handle and its decoration can tell where the herdsman is from. On the Great Plain the use one with shorter handle, while in Upper Hungary then use a heavier one, with longer handle.

Our audience at the HunFest has the opportunity to touch a Hungarian whip and try to learn to crack it.

Dance Circle

Everyone, children and adults alike, are invited to Learn Hungarian dance steps in our Dance Circle led by our entertainers, Fészer Banda. This is fun for everyone, where our audience can learn some basic steps they can use in any Hungarian party where folk music is played.

Shopping

We also offer Hungarian craft items, books in Hungarian or about Hungary, and other Hungarian-related items, besides our yummy pastries and treats – and of course traditional Hungarian food for lunch.

Mindenkit szeretettel várunk – Everyone is Welcome

In Hungarian the expression actually translates to

“We are expecting everyone with love.”