It has made me terribly sad the past few months, as the Facebook invitations for high school graduation parties have poured in, clicking the decline button for every one since I will be in Hungary until July this year. They are such a beautiful time for friends and family to come together and celebrate the completion of 12+ years before heading off to college and I am going to miss every last one of them.
Yet...little did I know that I was going to experience what I will be missing right here in Hungary too. I was asked to attend one graduation and two after-parties in one day!
The Hungarians have two big celebrations each year for the graduating seniors. One is called the "szalagavató". This is similar to the american prom, but it is a large ball room dance that the students practice together for three times a week for two to four months. The girls wear beautiful floor length white ball gowns and the guys wear black suits. It takes place at the end of the fall semester and friends and family are invited to watch this dance and celebrate with the senior. Later that night is a big dance party just for the students that is more similar to our prom.
The other ceremony occurs at the end of May or beginning of April and is more similar to our graduation. This happens on the last day of the seniors' classes. This is the celebration I was invited to participate in.
A friend of mine, Eszter Szilágyi, invited me to hers. Below are some pictures of the event.
First they walk around the school for a while with the flowers and balloons that their friends and family have given them at the start. They say thanks to the school and have their pictures taken.
Next they head outside and together release their balloons into the air.
Eszter was a part of the procession at the beginning of the ceremony. At the point this photo was taken she was getting ready to tie a ribbon around a long stick with many other ribbons tied to it. I could not tell you why or what it was for, but it seemed to be quite an honor.
There were some very well dressed MCs, and quite attractive too; I have pretty much accepted that all Hungarians are absolutely beautiful.
I loved the funny balloons with all of the graduation hats on them.
Eszter received a SPECIAL AWARD!!!
And then....we took pictures. These are just a few of the many taken in those short 20 minutes.
After the celebrations we went to Eszter's house and ate a delicious lunch prepared for us by her parents and extended family. I had some wonderful conversations with her uncles about where they are from and their experiences traveling to the Ukraine. Unfortunately we had to leave early so that I could get back to school for the second half of the class that I skipped the first half of for this party. Totally worth it!
Another friend of mine, Anna Sólyom, invited me to celebrate with her family at her house after her ballagás since I couldn't make it for the school part. I headed over there after my class and enjoyed eating some more wonderful food and having great conversations with her family and friends.
Overall, this was a really nice day, in which I felt right at home and very included in the festivities. Learning about how different cultures celebrate their graduates is very exciting. Plus it was nice the the ceremony didn't last over 3 hours like it does at home for big public schools. Thank you Hungary for being practical!!!
Even though one would think that these seniors are all done for the summer and have a chance to relax, that is false. They are just gearing up to take LARGE oral exams that they need to do well on to be accepted into college. These exams will take place in the next few weeks. I send all of my blessings and wishes out to those Hungarian graduates (from middle, high, undergrad and graduate school) who are continuing to work hard even after graduation. I hope they go well and they are not too unbearable. If you want to practice for your english exam, you know where to find me... ;)
Love you all,
Emike
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