Third Coast Review contributor Tory Crowley is a native Midwesterner currently living in Budapest, Hungary. Please enjoy her European cultural notes.
One of my favorite Irish pub songs is called, aptly, “Irish Pub Song.” The chorus has the line: “wherever you go around the world you'll find an Irish pub." This holds true in my current city of Budapest, Hungary, which is home to no less than five proper Irish pubs and hosts a small but lively "Szent Patrik Nap" celebration.
Chicagoans know that St. Patrick's Day is serious business, and one of my fears about moving to Hungary was that no one would take this sacred holiday seriously. I’m now pleased to report that my fears were baseless. Budapest has a small but mighty army of Irish people (and Irish-for-a-day people), who put on a St. Paddy’s day celebration full of heart.
Every year, on the Sunday before March 17, there is a gathering at Liberty Square, a small park in the heart of Budapest. A few hundred people show up. All afternoon, Irish dancers and fiddle players entertain the modest crowd while people mill about, snacking on food truck fare and drinking Guinness from kegs. Yes, the Guinness is expensive due to tariffs and markups. It's also worth every penny.
But the pièce de résistance of the whole event is when the man himself, St. Patrick, shows up. An 8-foot-tall papier-mache statue of St. Patrick is carried around by the event organizers. They start by parading the figure around the square, inviting attendees to join the parade, as if they were in a conga line. Once a quorum has been reached, the parade takes to the streets, walking about a mile through downtown Budapest, drawing attention from onlookers, most of whom do not know who St. Patrick is, or why so many people dressed in green are walking down the street on this random day in March.
Truthfully, the whole thing is a bit kitschy, especially compared to the grand show that Chicago puts on. But it has much of the same heart—people coming together to celebrate Irish culture and have a good time. As someone who grew up treating St. Patrick’s Day as a real holiday, it’s nice to know that wherever you go around the world, you’ll find people who feel the same.
Photos by the author.
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