The Busó March Again in Mohács

This week has seen the traditional Busójárás (the March of the Busó), a pagan Hungarian heritage. It is the symbolic ‘burying’ of winter and the welcoming of spring with folk music and dance in the south-central Hungarian town of Mohács near the Serbian border.

Going back to medieval roots, the march of people in frightening costumes is supposed to scare away winter. In the end-of-winter festival, frightening-looking costumed people wearing wooden masks and big woolly cloaks march through the town after arriving in boats on the river Danube.

The popularity of the Mohács folk tradition is growing steadily: organizers estimate that 40-45,000 people took part in this year's event every day during the six days of the event. This year, a record 2,200 masqueraders entertained visitors with visitors being able to take part in some 200 activities at 15 different venues.

The Busó was included in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009. The festivity is described as a general emblem of the town and a commemoration of the great events of its history.