Spring festivals in Transcarpathia

Spring - a beautiful, wondrous, romantic and deeply inspiring time of year in the Carpathians. This is the season when new ideas, new dreams, new hopes and new journeys are born. The tender watercolours of spring paint unrivalled landscapes. Everything around is in blossom, greenery flourishes, and enchanting fragrant scents fill the streets, squares, forests and meadows.

Spring festivals in Transcarpathia - are just the thing to help you feel the whole matchless beauty of nature. To see with your own eyes the unique Carpathian attractions and natural wonders. They enchant for just a few days, and only once a year. In particular - the blossoming of the cherry and magnolia trees in Uzhhorod, and the Valley of Narcissi in Khust.

Spring festivals in Transcarpathia in March

As early as the start of March, on the 5th to 7th, in the most Hungarian little town of Transcarpathia - Berehove - the heady «White Wine» festival takes place.  At the festival, local winemakers of the Order of Saint Wenceslaus present the finest varieties of Transcarpathia’s sunny beverage.

In the first week of March, in the Transcarpathian (Romanian)  village of Bila Tserkva spring is welcomed brightly and colourfully during the folk festival «Mărțișor». This is the festival of the Romanian ethnic minority, who live compactly in the Tiachiv and Rakhiv districts of the region. Mărțișor for Romanians - is a little floral posy tied with red and white threads, which locals give one another as a token of gratitude and wear for a whole month. Then the Mărțișor is taken off and used to decorate fruit trees while making a wish - people believe that in this way they draw good fortune to themselves and make their dreams come true.

Another equally interesting and colourful ethnic festival of Slovak culture - «Slovak Merriment» in the village of Rodnykova Huta in the Svaliava district, which is famed for its mineral springs and unique sanatoriums. Moreover, it is in March that the village of Pyiterfalvo near Vynohradiv hosts the festival-competition of Hungarian song and dance «I Would Cross the Tisza».

The Carpathians - a land with a rich and fascinating history, so spring festivals in Transcarpathia that celebrate the ancient heroic past and the national patriotic spirit are no rarity here. For example, in Khust on 11-13 March they hold the riflemen’s song festival «Krasne Pole».

Every year at the end of March, in Uzhhorod all the country’s writers, poets and lovers of modern literature gather - here takes place the festival of erotic literature «March Cats». Various venues scattered all across the city, original theatrical productions, erotic shows, public readings and slam, literary evenings, yoga days, body art, erotic exhibitions and photo displays - and this is only a small part of the programme of this grand spring festival.

Spring festivals in Transcarpathia in April

In April, nature in Transcarpathia begins to burst into bloom and fragrance. Since time immemorial, the people of Transcarpathia have honoured spring with songs, dances and merry games, and so it is precisely at this time of year that a great many sporting and entertainment events are held across the region.

In Vynohradiv , famed for its royal history, a wine festivalis celebrated every April, where the region’s finest winemakers offer their wonderful sunny beverages for sale and tasting.

A great many varied festivals are held in the capital of Transcarpathia - the ancient, thousand-year-old and international Uzhhorod. These are, first and foremost, the festival of play programmes «Hraylyk», the modern dance festival, and the All-Ukrainian festival-competition «Transcarpathian Edelweiss».

It is in Uzhhorod in April that you can witness one of Ukraine’s most astonishing natural wonders - the blossoming of the cherry trees and magnolias. Here you will find whole avenues and streets of them. It seems as though the city is drowning in a tender pink hue, and the beauty you behold and the floral scents simply take your breath away.

The people of Transcarpathia, who dearly love to turn practically every day into a celebration, could not leave this unique phenomenon without lively folk festivities. That is why, during the cherry-blossom season, a series of different events is held in the city on the Uzh. These are: the international musical and creative «Sakura Fest» with a rich entertainment programme, the pétanque festival, and colourful, generous fairs, where you can taste and buy Carpathian eco-products and souvenirs.

In the period from April to May, in Uzhhorod every two years there takes place the International Festival of Contemporary Sacred Music «Cantus». It was founded in the city on their own initiative by the choristers of the «Cantus» choir, legendary in Transcarpathia. During the festival you can savour songs performed by renowned Ukrainian, Polish, Austrian and Swiss ensembles, composers and vocalists.

Spring festivals in Transcarpathia in May

In Transcarpathia the festival climax of spring falls precisely on May. It is little wonder, since this month of the year has many days off, especially over the May holidays, so you can rest a little more than usual.

Already in the first days of May (Saturday to Sunday), in Uzhhorod there begins the honey and wine festival «Sunny Beverage». The programme features engaging entertainment and a folk fair where you can taste and buy different kinds and varieties of Transcarpathian honey and wine, balms, mulled wine, mead and other honey eco-products, as well as original souvenirs. A wine celebration is also held in Vynohradiv - here takes place the festival of vine-growers and winemakers .

One of May’s most colourful events is the festival «Berlybash Banush» in the village of Kostylivka in the Rakhiv district. During this gastronomic celebration you can try Hutsul dishes, in particular banosh (or banush ) - a very tasty dish of maize grits, sour cream, bryndza (Carpathian sheep’s cheese) and lard. During the festival they light a real Hutsul bonfire, dance and sing, and sell and offer tastings of vurda, bryndza and other Carpathian eco-products. Here you will find original souvenirs and master classes in preparing dishes of Hutsul cuisine.

In addition, it is precisely in May that they celebrate Mukachevo Day, Perechyn Day and Berehove Day. The programme features theatrical performances, engaging entertainment, master classes and competitions (in particular, cooking the best bograch in Berehove and a strongman multi-event in Mukachevo), sporting games, knightly tournaments and fairs.

In early May, in the Kireshi tract of the Khust district, a unique natural wonder of Europe bursts into bloom - the Valley of Narcissi. Tourists from every corner of the world come to admire the white flowering field of narrow-leaved narcissus amid the mountains. It is precisely at this time that the creative festival «Golden Narcissus» takes place here.

Festivals and celebrations - the highlight of Transcarpathia

Ethnic festivals are the highlight of Transcarpathia, for many ethnic minorities live here, and each of them has its own special, unique festival. In particular, in the Svaliava district, where ethnic Germans still live, they hold every year the festival «German Community». In the village of Serednie in the Uzhhorod area - the song-and-dance celebration «Golden Nightingale». In Mukachevo - the International Festival of Theatres of National Minorities «Ethno-Dia-Sphere». In the town of Solotvyno in the Tiachiv district - the vibrant festival of Romanian folk art.

The people of Transcarpathia value their partnership ties with sister cities abroad and constantly hold various days of good neighbourliness. In May, guests to the region can look forward to colourful Days of Good Neighbourliness on the Ukrainian-Slovak and Ukrainian-Hungarian border.

May is the time when shepherds drive their flocks of sheep out to the pastures. These send-offs are marked with lively folk festivities. At the end of the month, spring festivals in Transcarpathia get under way in Rakhiv, in particular the colourful «Send-off to the High Pasture». On the Synevyr Pass, not far from Lake Synevyr and the waterfall Shypit there takes place the celebration «Send-off of the Herders to the High Pastures».

And in the geographical centre of Europe - the village of Dilove - at this time they hold a genuine «Day of the Bull». The programme features unrivalled Carpathian traditions, local colour, delicious Hutsul cuisine, master classes in milking sheep and making bryndza, kolomyikas and a Hutsul bonfire.

In May, at Chynadiiovo Castle «Saint Miklós» there takes place the festival of medieval culture «Silver Tátos». The programme is spectacular and richly packed with a variety of events and highlights: knightly tournaments and demonstration displays, medieval mêlées, dances, games, and duels with halberds, crossbows, bows and swords. All this vivid spectacle is accompanied by authentic medieval music. Above all, the organisers place the emphasis on reviving the glorious medieval era in Transcarpathia, which has remained an astonishingly fascinating chapter in the region’s captivating history.