August 20th is the greatest national holiday for Hungarians, celebrated with day-long festivities followed by spectacular fireworks throughout the country. August 20th commemorates the foundation of the Hungarian state, it’s like Hungary’s 4th of July. Also called as St. Stephen’s Day, remembering Stephen I, the first king of Hungary and founder of the Kingdom of Hungary, who was canonized on August 20th, 1083 by Pope Gregory VII.
Festivities start in the morning with the raising of the Hungarian flag in Kossuth tér and continue on all day long, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display over the Danube. The main events include the procession of St. Stephen’s Holy Right Hand around the Basilica, the Court of St Stephen, a historical playhouse, archery shows, a water parade and an air show along the embankments of the river Danube. [x]
