Today was the annual school Farsang costume party. We're still not entirely sure what Farsang is, but I now think it has something to with the period between Epiphany (Vízkereszt) and Ash Wednesday. Since Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of the traditional Christian fasting period, Farsang is the celebration of good food and good fun before the drudgery of Lent sets in.
Anyway, whatever the reason behind its existence, Farsang is a pretty big deal in Hungary and the kids absolutely love having an excuse to dress up. After misjudging last year's costumes, Daniel and I opted for something a little more kid-orientated this year. If we've learnt anything from being teachers, it's that kids love guns and knives. Oh wait, that sounded bad. But it's the truth. The kids know the names of all the superheroes as well as any kind of occupation that weilds a weapon (such as pirates, sheriffs, knights, etc). So with this in mind, Daniel and I decided to dress up as ninjas for the Farsang party.
While we were at home getting changed into our costumes, a gang of excited parents descended on the school and helped to transform our students into a colourful assortment of cowboys, indians, dragons, princesses, pirates and more. The creativity and skill level behind some of the costumes was pretty amazing. I thought our colleague Laima did an awesome job with her bunch of grapes costume, and I just loved Dorka and Eszter's kangaroo suits. Lilla from Grade 2 was also impressive as a Túró Rudi (a distinctive and popular Hungarian snack made from chocolate-covered curd). And guess what? Detti from Grade 3 was dressed as a Rubik's cube...and a princess...I think.
During the costume party, each student was presented to the crowd, assessed by a panel of judges and then scored. Most of the kids also performed a little dance, sang a song, or recited a short poem as part of their presentation.While it took a while (about 2 hours) to get through each of the 75 'acts', it was worth it just to see each student have their moment in the spotlight. My favourite moments both came from Grade 1 students. First, Boti absolutely stole the show with his frenzied lasso twirling, then Bandika surprised everyone when he took a few swipes at the principal with his wooden pirate sword. So, so cute.
By contrast, one of the more confusing/disturbing moments was provided by the Grade 4 students. Even though Daniel told me that the kids were dressed as pencils, I couldn't help but think they looked more like Klu Klux Klan members...only perhaps an anti-white version. It was strange. Here's a short video of part of their performance.
After all the acts had been presented, and while the scores were being tallied, the students returned to their classrooms, took off their costumes, and then everybody got to indulge in assorted drinks and treats provided by the parents. This included yummy farsangi fánk which are special doughnuts only available at this time of year. Needless to say, Daniel and I ate and drank a lot. Soon enough, it was back to the gym for the prize ceremony, and then before we knew it, our brief sojourn as ninjas was over. At least it was pretty darn awesome while it lasted.
- Amanda
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