The small town of Mohács in southern Hungary, near the Croatian border, is sleepy until the week before Lent, when Busós wearing wooden masks and sheepskins invade the town with noisemakers and mischief. The history of the event stems back to the Ottoman occupation of Hungary in the 16th and 17th centuries, when the inhabitants of Mohács are said to have frightened the Turks away with scary masks and lots of noise. Now the celebration is for the purpose of bidding farewell to winter. We weren't able to go on Sunday, the Carnival day, but we had a lot of fun watching the goings on Saturday, despite the cold and dreary weather. These images aren't my best effort due to simply horrible conditions, but I hope you get a sense of this truly incredible event, which takes place only in Hungary and only at this time of year.

NOTE: NEWEST PICTURES ARE AT THE BEGINNING, FROM THE 2012 CARNIVAL.