February • Cultural Insight

Busójárás

Scaring away the winter. In Mohács, Hungary, the Šokci people dress in terrifying wooden masks and woolly cloaks to scare winter away. This lesson explores the power of folk horror aesthetics and how ancient agrarian communities used fear to cope with the unpredictability of nature.

Speaking Discussion

Why do we find scary costumes so entertaining during a festival?
Can a shared story (like scaring away soldiers) keep a community together for 500 years?
Is the winter in your life something you can scare away, or something you must endure?
Should these rituals be kept exactly as they were in the 1700s, or should they be modernised?
What is the most terrifying tradition you have ever seen?

Activity 1: The Costume Historian

The Task: Explain why fear is a better way to celebrate the end of winter than joy. Write 3 sentences focusing on endurance and survival.

Activity 2: Rapid Fire Debate

Is horror just another way to feel alive?

Key Vocabulary

Agrarian (Adj) Relating to cultivated land or the cultivation of land.
Endure (V) Suffer (something painful or difficult) patiently.
Aesthetics (N) A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art.
Unpredictability (N) The quality of being unpredictable.
Unpredictability (N) The quality of being unpredictable.

Fluency Catalyst

Native Phrase: When discussing impact, use: "To scare the living daylights out of someone."

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