15th March - National Holiday

The revolutionary wave that had swept over Europe in spring 1848 resulted in a bloodless revolution in Hungary on 15th March. A bunch of Hungarian poets and writers formed the core of the radicals. They were preparing for a demonstration on 19th March at their regular meeting place, the Café Pilvax. They heard the news of the revolution in Vienna on the evening of 14th March so they decided to bring forward the demonstration.
The revolutionaries started to gather people while reciting Petőfi's National Song and reading their demands worded in the 12 points (kids at school had to learn it by heart when they learn about the Revolution).
The most important demands were:
-freedom of press, abolition of censure
-freedom of religion
-a national bank
-jury
-abolition of feudal conditions
The mass lead by Petőfi


in the pouring rain occupied a press and printed out the poem and the 12-points. The Habsburgs didn't dare to intervene. Despite the rain an even bigger crowd gathered in the garden of the National Museum by afternoon.
Despite the Habsburgs' more power and larger army they weren't strong enaough to defeat Hungarians so Austria convinced Russia provide support to breakdown Hungarian War of Independence. Despite being a small country, Hungary humiliated Austria by fighting tooth and nail and she emphasized this by surrendering not to the Emperor but to the Russian Czar in August 1849.
Each year on March 15, the Hungarian tricolors of red, white, and green are prominently displayed all over the country.

Below is the Hungarian text to the most popular poem in Hungary for this day. It’s called “Nemzeti Dal” in Hungarian, which means “National Song” in English. The poet was one of the leading characters of the revolution, Sándor Petofi…

On your feet, Magyar, the homeland calls!
The time is here, now or never!
Shall we be slaves or free?
This is the question, choose your answer! -
By the God of the Hungarians
We vow,
We vow, that we will be slaves
No longer!
We were slaves up til now,
Damned are our ancestors,
Who lived and died free,
Cannot rest in a slave land.
By the God of the Hungarians
We vow,
We vow, that we will be slaves
No longer!
Useless villain of a man,
Who now, if need be, doesn't dare to die,
Who values his pathetic life greater
Than the honor of his homeland.
By the God of the Hungarians
We vow,
We vow, that we will be slaves
No longer!
The sword shines brighter than the chain,
Decorates better the arm,
And we still wore chains!
Return now, our old sword!
By the God of the Hungarians
We vow,
We vow, that we will be slaves
No longer!
The Magyar name will be great again,
Worthy of its old, great honor;
Which the centuries smeared on it,
We will wash away the shame!
By the God of the Hungarians
We vow,
We vow, that we will be slaves
No longer!
Where our grave mounds lie,
Our grandchildren will kneel,
And with blessing prayer,
Recite our sainted names.
By the God of the Hungarians
We vow,
We vow, that we will be slaves
No longer!