The Hungarians call Lent the Great Fast (nagyböjt). Since meat is forbidden during Lent, the day before Ash Wednesday is called húshagyó kedd, meaning meat abandoning Tuesday. On Holy Saturday or Nagyszombat, people take food baskets filled with kalács, red eggs and salt to the church to be blessed by the clergy. The blessed food is eaten after the resurrection ceremonies.
On Easter Monday, also known as Ducking Monday, boys sprinkle girls with perfume or perfumed water. While once young men used to pour buckets of water over young women's heads, today they spray perfume or cologne or just plain water, and then ask for a kiss and a red egg.
The most spectacular of the Eastertide folk-festivals is the so called 'busojaras' (walk of the busos, legendary monsters) in the Mohacs district. Men wearing frightening devil masks parade through their village shouting and making great din with old tins and dishes. Native legend has it that locals once managed to scare away the invading Turks wearing awful looking monster masks.
