March of the Horny Monsters

It’s called “Busojaras,” and it sounds like a whole heckuva lotta fun. It tales place every February in the city of Mohacs, Hungary. Think of it as being to Mohacs what Mardi Gras is to New Orleans, or Carnivale is to Brazil. It’s the big celebration before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. It has another layer, though, as it commemorates a victory by the Croatian Sokci people over the Ottoman Empire (Hey, Dracula would approve!) back during the 1500s, when the locals, inspired by a mysterious wizard-like figure to don masks and scary costumes, attacked at night, clanging bells and what not, and frightened the Turks into believing they were fighting demons. (Something else that worked for Dracula.) The Turks fled, and the celebration was born. That’s the official story, at least.

Busojaras is probably older than that; far older, possibly. Go back far enough, dig into the pagan roots of the original inhabitants of the land, and it seems to have been a traditional end-of-winter celebration, or one designed to bring about the end of winter and the coming of a new spring. Whatever its origin, the festival is reenacted today as it has been for centuries, with the locals donning frightening horned masks and garish, elaborate costumes. Like I said, it sounds like a blast. Too bad it’s all the way over there in Hungary.

By The Evil Cheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 MORTUI VELOCES SUNT!

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