WHY DO HUNGARIANS WEAR A ROSETTE ON MARCH 15?
Throughout the city you will see people wearing ’kokárda’ (rosette shaped badge with the national colours of red-white-and-green) on their lapels. All sizes from discreet 2 cm up to 20 cm. You will also witness several political rallies all around the city.
Don’t miss to watch how Hungarians celebrate with reciting poems, singing patriotic songs and becoming politically heated. For foreigners and the uninitiated it can even be fun. One and the only thing that remains lasting and safe is the original text of our flaming poet’s revolution sparkling poem.
See the English translation and the Hungarian original here:
March 15 – 21 and April 4 Revolutionary Youth Days – Forradalmi Ifjúsági Napok
March 15 became a dreaded holiday for the Kádár regime since after crushing the revolution in November 1956 the slogan of resistance became MUK (Márciusban Újra Kezdjük = We’ll start again in March) referring to March 15. To subdue the importance of the commemoration of the revolution of 1848 Communist government expropriated the day by combining it with March 21, the anniversary of the setting up of the Soviet Republic in 1919 and with 4th of April 1945, Day of Liberation of Hungary by the Red Army). In 1967 they introduced the “Revolutionary Youth Days” for this purpose. The Communist Youth Association (KISZ) was instructed to carry out the festivities celebrating the three freedom events of Hungarian history.
