Europe in Brussels part 26: Hungary

While it may go by many names, 20 August is a day for celebrating in Hungary.

The day marks the life of Saint Stephen of Hungary, the country's first king, who spent his life trying to convert the Magyar people to Christianity.

Over the years, the day has also been called Foundation Day, Constitution Day and the Day of the New Bread.

"Our national day has a complicated history," says Adam Gerencser, a Hungarian living in Brussels since 2012. "Depending on your generation, you celebrate differently."

However, no matter what Hungarians call it, it seems everyone can agree on one thing - fireworks. Angela Bodo, a Hungarian who moved to Brussels in the past year says the late-night event is something to see. "The biggest fireworks are of course in Budapest," she says. "That's the thing to do on 20 August."

Brussels has plenty of options to celebrate for the approximately 6,500-strong Hungarian community in Belgium. "For Hungarians who live here, there are Facebook groups announcing programmes, private events as well as events at the Hungarian Cultural Institute [The Balassi Intézet Brüsszel], so there were will plenty of places for other Hungarians to meet and hang out together," says Gerencser.

Bodo has also been using the Hungarian Facebook pages since moving to Brussels. She said people ask questions ranging from parenting advice to legal aid. "People are super helpful, so I just post a question, a practical question and I got answers in 10 minutes,” she says. “So it's really amazing how the Hungarian community works here.”

Alexandra Toth, another Hungarian in Brussels, says the Hungarian community is very active on social media, but there is also also a popular hangout for Hungarians looking for a taste of home. “We have Hungarom [Chaussée de Waterloo 603, Ixelles], a shop selling Hungarian products, where you can always meet Hungarians,” she says. The shop is great for picking up pàlinka, Hungarian schnapps.

Both Bodo and Gerencser refer to the Hungarian language as a "secret code", with only about 10 million people in the world speaking the language.

Gerencser adds: “I am proud of the fact that Hungary survived its 1,000-year history. It's an isolated little language, spoken by only 10 million people in a sea of different people. In that sense, our history is a success story of endurance."