New Year’s Eve in Hungary: Szilveszter in 2025
New Year’s Eve in Hungary always sounds simpler than it is. But after eight of them here, Andrew and I have learned that Szilveszter rarely follows a script. We’ve done it all. Properly dressed-up nights out. Quiet evenings at home. Loud Karaoke nights. Plans changed...
No Santa in Hungary? How I Swapped Santa for Mikulás
No Santa in Hungary? That line still makes people blink when they visit in December. Technically it is true for Christmas Eve, but the story is much better than that. Growing up in Canada, I managed to get both Mikulás on December 6 and Santa on the 25th, which meant...
All Saints’ Day in Hungary: Every Grave Glows in Candlelight
It’s November 1, and instead of carving pumpkins or answering the doorbell to small vampires, Andrew and I are in Sümeg, where the hills are turning gold and the air smells faintly of woodsmoke. This weekend we’ve swapped Halloween chaos for candlelight calm....
Whit Monday Hungary: Closures, Customs & Calm
I’m writing this from our little winehouse in the countryside, where the only sound is birdsong and the occasional flap of Sümi’s oversized ears as she chases butterflies. Yesterday’s drive down was another story entirely – Whit Monday in Hungary has...
I’m Anikó Woods, a Canadian-Hungarian who’s been knee-deep in life here since 2017 - bureaucracy, culture, and everything in between.