The Strange Hungarian Festival to Scare Away Winter (PHOTOS)

Photos

The Tuesday before Lent is a festival day the world over, but none so grotesque as Busojaras.

ByNicole Bonaccorso•March 22, 2017

A member of Mohacs Busok poses for a photo on February 21, 2012 prior to their carnival masquerade in Mohacs, Hungary.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

Ready for spring? Hungary's Busojaras festival has been held for hundreds of years with the intent to scare winter away.

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A member of Mohacs Busok dances in front of a bonfire in the main square of Mohacs on February 21, 2012 during the last day of their 6-day carnival masquerade.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

The Tuesday before Lent is a festival day the world over, but none so grotesque as Busojaras. Participants wear monstrous shearling costumes with hand-carved masks for a six-day festival in February.

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A member of Mohacs Busok (Mask-people from the town of Mohacs) walks in the streets of Mohacs on February 21, 2012 prior to their carnival masquerade.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

A couple of Mohacs Busok prepare their costume in Mohacs on February 21, 2012 prior to their carnival masquerade.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

According to legend, the tradition began in the 16th century when Hungarian townspeople, fleeing the Ottoman Army, encountered an old man who told them to carve masks and prepare for a battle. Wearing sheepskin, the townspeople encountered the Turks in the midst of a snowstorm, fooling their enemies into thinking they were demons, the New York Times reported. The Ottomans fled, and the costumes became symbolic of scaring winter itself.

A member of Mohacs Busok (people from the town of Mohacs) is pictured in Budapest downtown on February 13, 2009 during their carnival masquerade. The Busojaras (Hungarian, meaning 'Buso-walking') is an annual celebration of the Sokci (Croatians) living in the town of Mohacs, held at the end of the Carnival season and ending the day before Ash Wednesday. The celebration features Busos and includes folk music, masquerading, parades and dancing. Busojaras lasts six days, usually during February.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

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Girls of Mohacs Busok (Mask-wearing people from Mohacs, Hungary) wait for the start of the parade in Mohacs on February 21, 2012 as part of the carnival masquerade. The Busojaras (Hungarian, meaning 'Buso-walking') is an annual celebration of the Sokci (Croatians) living in the town of Mohacs, held at the end of the Carnival season and ending the day before Ash Wednesday. The celebration features Busos and includes folk music, masquerading, parades and dancing.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

But don't let the devilish attire fool you. It's a time for merrymaking, feasting and bonfires. Spiced wine, costume contests and a boat procession along the Danube are traditional occurences during Busojaras, according to The Daily Mail.

A tourist is hugged by members of Mohacs Busok.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

Visitors, tourists and members of Mohacs Busok dance in front of the bonfire of the winter's coffin, symbolizing winter's death, at the main square of Mohacs on February 21, 2012, during the last day of their 6-day carnival masquerade.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

Dancers of Zora dance group and members of Mohacs Busok (people from the town of Mohacs) are pictured in Budapest downtown on February 13, 2009 during their carnival masquerade.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

A young member of Mohacs Busok waits for the march in Mohacs on February 21, 2012 prior to their carnival masquerade.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

Participants burn an effigy of winter in a large bonfire.

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Members of Mohacs Busok, Mask-people from the town of Mohacs, Hungary, dance in front of a bonfire in the main square of Mohacs on February 21, 2012, during the last day of their 6-day carnival masquerade.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

A member of Mohacs Busok (Mask-people from the town of Mohacs) steps out from their local base on February 21, 2012 prior to their carnival masquerade. The Busojaras (Hungarian, meaning 'Buso-walking') is an annual celebration of the Sokci (Croatians) living in the town of Mohacs, held at the end of the Carnival season and ending the day before Ash Wednesday. The celebration features Busos and includes folk music, masquerading, parades and dancing. Busojaras lasts six days, usually during February.
(Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

"As a Buso, you cannot be recognizable," Aron Rozsahegyi, a member of the masked revellers, told the New York Times. "Fully dressed, you feel this sense of freedom and the force of history rising within you."