The biggest and main Christmas-tradition is the "Betlehem play," which has a great written literature as well. Some days before Christmas groups of boys go house-to-house with a model of the holy family. They perform a short play about the child Jesus with songs and poems usually in costums. The first written document about the "Betlehemes" groups was dated in 1600's. Some folk and non-profit groups are dedicated to preserve the athmosphere and custom of this tradition.
Christmas cooking is an important part of the celebration. In the old villages the kichen table was always the center of the houses, which was covered and decorated only for holidays. The Christmas table-cloth had a magic meaning of power: health and abundance. People put straw under the table remembering to the manger in Betlehem. Main dishes were: turkey or goose and brioche with walnut and poppy-seed, which is called 'beigli.' Almost all Christmas food had magic meaning: poppy-seed and pear brought abundance, honey made life sweet, galic brought health, apple meant beauty and love.
Another common dish of the Christmas-dinner now is fried fish, which is a tradition mostly in towns. The scale of fish means money, wealth.
The leftover morsels from Christmas table were kept in the next 12 days,then were spread over the fields believing in good harvest in the next year. In some places they were burnt and the ash and smoke was used to cure sick children and animals. Most of these traditions originate in the pre-Christian history, since Christmas is about the shortest day of the year, which was the end of the year for long. These traditions include superstitious predictions for future health, wealth, harvest and family life.
Ginger-bread has been an important part of Christmas baking usually made weeks before the holiday. Gingerbread figurines are used to decorate house or the tree. This sweet is so popular thorughout Europe at this season.
The Hungarian Santa, called Mikulás, (Me-ku-lash) visits children on December 6th, St. Nicholas' Day, which is the name day of "Miklós." Chidren put boots in the windows, like stockings hang by the fireplace on Christmas Eve all over the USA. If the child has been good, Mikulás leaves the boot filled with goodies - traditionally with candies, tangerines, walnuts, apples, dates and chocolate Mikulás figurines. Also, most children get small toys and books. If the child has been bad, the boot will contain just a switch usually with a devil-figure attached, indicating a beating is in order. Since no child is all good or all bad, most get the switch and the treat. Usually Mikulás-day is celebrated in schools and in work-places for the workers' children. Children sing Mikulás-songs and when he comes in bravest children go to him, sit to his lap and tell a poem or sing a song. Then Mikulás calls them one by one, praising them for the good things they did and mentions bad things as well. These personal messages - of course - based on previous parents' notes. Usually Mikulás plays with them for a while or they watch a movie together.There is no Mrs. Santa in Hungary, but Mikulás often comes with one or two small evil boys, called "krampusz (kromm-puhs)."
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