Szilveszter

Hungarian New Year's Eve: paper trumpets, frankfurters at midnight, the anthem on the radio and lentils the next day for money.

New Year’s Eve, celebrated with street trumpets, costume balls, champagne toasts and the anthem at midnight.

Practice Add to my calendar

Opens Dec 31, closes Jan 1 · 48 hours

what Szilveszter is

Szilveszter, 31 December, takes its name from Pope Sylvester, whose feast day it is, and it is the loudest night of the Hungarian year. From the afternoon the streets fill with the sound of szilveszteri trombita, cardboard trumpets sold on every corner, and with people in paper hats and masks heading to a szilveszteri bál or a house party. Dinner is long, and the classic dish at midnight is virsli, frankfurters with mustard and fresh bread, washed down with pezsgő, sparkling wine.

At midnight every radio and television channel plays the Himnusz, the national anthem, and people stand, glasses in hand, before the koccintás and the fireworks. Luck has rules: lentils on New Year's Day bring money, pork brings fortune because the pig roots forward, but poultry scratches luck backwards and fish lets it swim away, so neither is served. Marzipan szerencsemalac, lucky pigs, and kéményseprő, chimney sweeps, appear on every table, and 1 January begins with korhelyleves, a sour cabbage soup for the hangover.

what you'll learn5 domains

The pack has 36 words spread across these domains.

GreetingsCommon phrases and toasts used during Szilveszter celebrations.

Event DayKey moments and activities that occur throughout Szilveszter.

FoodTraditional dishes and treats prepared and enjoyed during Szilveszter.

ObjectsItems used in Szilveszter celebrations, like street trumpets.

MusicSongs and anthems played during Szilveszter festivities.

the run — three rounds, about three minutes, unlimited practice

Round 1 · MatchPair the word with its meaning. Six pairs, one attempt each.

Round 2 · SpellType the word you hear, accents and all. Beginners see the meaning and complete the word instead.

Round 3 · MeaningSix questions on what happens at Szilveszter and what it is called.

how scoring works

How you are ranked

1AccuracyEvery correct answer counts the same. Anything you leave unanswered counts as wrong.

2Time, only to break tiesTime is read only when two people have the same accuracy. It never beats a better score.

For example

1100%3:41Marta

2100%4:02Joan — same score, slower

397%2:10Núria — fastest, still third

Two separate boards

BeginnerAdvanced

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.

One scored run

Practise as often as you like, all year. The scored run happens once, while the competition is open, and cannot be retaken.