What is the traditional midsummer celebration in Hungary known as?

Hungary’s traditional midsummer celebration is known as Szent Iván-éj.

Szent Iván-éj means “Saint John’s Night” in Hungarian and refers to the night before the June 24 feast of Saint John the Baptist. The celebration preserves the broader European midsummer association with fire, light, and the turning point of the solar year.

Bonfires are a traditional feature, and people historically gathered around them for communal celebrations. Fire-jumping and other customs connected with protection, fertility, and good fortune appear in Hungarian midsummer folklore. The event is sometimes described as the Hungarian form of Saint John’s Eve rather than as a separate national holiday.

It is different from Luca-nap, the December feast associated with Saint Lucy, and Busójárás, the masked carnival tradition of Mohács held before Lent.