Debrecen Flower Carnival: a spectacular cavalcade of petals and dances
Local authorities report that the carnival had about 2,000 dancers participating
Last week, Hungary’s second largest city – Debrecencelebrated its anniversary Carnival of flowers (Carnival of flowers), one of the most significant celebrations in the local area and the city’s way of marking the country’s national holiday.
The festival was on a two-year hiatus during the pandemic like many annual European celebrations, but this year she waited almost 2000 dancers and 12 mobile flower installations. In addition, the Carnival of Flowers welcomed groups from all over the world, including Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Colombia and even South Korea.
The festival started on August 15 and ended last Sunday. During its week-long programme, the city hosted exhibitions, street food and craft beer displays, dance forums and light shows.
Despite its long history and popularity, the Flower Festival has been able to maintain its local character and many of the participants are small producers and sellers from the area.
Visions of Debrecen in the 1960s
For all of Hungary, August 20 is a special day, making it the anniversary of King Stephen I being named a saint. But in Debrecen, it has an extra flair, as it is the day of the Flower Carnival. According to official sources, the festival is held almost every year since 1966 and this year is the 53rd.st editing.
However, some city archivists believe that it actually has even deeper roots, as there was a flower festival organized by the locals. Civic Association of Cyclists in year 1900. Cyclists wanted to celebrate the creation of a new track with floral installations drawn on their bikes.
The next time the flowers appeared as a celebration in the city was 1905. That year, Debrecen saw its first ever ambulance, purchased for public health reasons. Before that, in emergencies, the city’s 80,000 residents had to rely on word of mouth and arrange their own travel to get to a doctor.
The Carnival of Flowers was brought back as an annual event in 1966 and has since evolved to offer a host of activities, amidst cavalcades of spectacular flower arrangements. At the same time, however, it has also maintained its local character and focus on nature conservation.
Images from the flower carnival in 1967, Source: Virágkarnevál
