Szenteste & Karácsony
Christmas Eve features tree decorating, halászlé fish soup, bejgli walnut and poppy seed rolls and gift exchanges.
Szenteste, Christmas Eve, is the evening that matters in Hungary, followed by karácsony első és második napja, the two days of Christmas, both public holidays. In many families the tree is decorated by the parents behind a closed door, because it is the Jézuska, the Baby Jesus, who brings both the tree and the presents; when a small bell rings the children are allowed in, and the family sings 'Mennyből az angyal' and 'Csendes éj' before the ajándékok are opened. Szaloncukor, fondant sweets in shiny paper, hang on the branches and vanish one by one over the holidays, leaving empty wrappers.
The Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally fish, halászlé, the paprika fish soup, or breaded carp, and afterwards bejgli, the rolled cake filled with walnuts or poppy seeds that every household bakes in December. On Christmas Day the table holds töltött káposzta, stuffed cabbage, and in villages children still go betlehemezés, performing the nativity play from house to house. Many go to éjféli mise, the midnight mass, and the days end with the formal wish 'Kellemes karácsonyi ünnepeket', pleasant Christmas holidays.
The pack has 36 words spread across these domains.
Same words in both. Beginner gets more help: matching and completing. Advanced listens and spells it out unaided. Pick it in practice; it locks when you take the scored run.
Practise as often as you like, all year. The scored run happens once, while the competition is open, and cannot be retaken.