18.Közélet : Közintézmények/Ügyintézés hivatalokban/Helyi közélet/Közbiztonság/Nemzeti ünnepek There are some public institutions we can manage our lives. I think of banks for example. The Hungarian people have got different rights and obligations. This system is really complex and complicated. If you want to marry, you have to visit the registrar. If you have a car, you have to visit the registration office. If you want to renew your towncard, called Egerszeg card, you have to go the the Major’s office. If you have some money, you can go to a bank. If you enter into a bank then you have to decide in front of a machine what you want to do. There are plenty of possibilities. You get a number. This number appears on a big screen, which is always visible for everyone. When you are in front of an assistant, she or he will help you to handle your business. The local public life is put into the shade in my town. The pubs and clubs are not crammed with people. Everybody has to work all day and after they get home, they are happy if they can spend some time with their family. If the are singles, then sometimes go to discos and pubs to have fun. The younger people go of course to visit discos and clubs at the weekend. There are two cinemas in Zalaegerszeg, I like going to there. The adults can go to the theatre, to the cinema and to nicer cafes for talking with each other. I think, Zalaegerszeg is a safety town. There aren’t crimes and murders in the streets. There are gypsies of course like in every single Hungarian town. I personally don’t like them and I am afraid of them, because they are very stupid but aggressive. I am not racist, but these people steal things from other ones and spek and look ugly. I often see police cars on the streets. I feel safety when I saw them. In Hungary at schools we have an opening and closing ceremony, and we celebrate national holidays, such as Oktober 23, the day of the Declaration of the Hungarian Republic and March 15., the day of the Hungaryan Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-1849. In primary school Mother’s Day and Christmas are also celebrated. In secondary school there is school leaver’s ball and their farewell ceremony. August 20. is also bank holiday, this is the day of King Stephen I. and of the new bread. The Labour Day, which is always celebrated on the first of May has spread from America. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas Eve is on December 24. The whole family comes together for the Christmas dinner. The traditional dishes are fish soup, stuffed cabbage and poppy seed and nut rolls. The Christmas tree is decorated before the dinner with sweets, brightly coloured lights, glass ornaments, and Christmas presents are placed under it. These presents are opened in the evening. At midnight a lot of families go to church for the midnight service. On Christmas Day and Boxing Day relatives visit each other and have lunch together. In Hungary on New Year’s Eve people usually go to parties where they eat and drink and enjoy themselves. At midnight they drink champagne and sing the national anthem. Then people go to the streets and watch the fireworks At Easter we celebrate the Resurrection, the rising of Jesus Christ from the tomb 3 days after his crucifixion. On Easter Sunday morning we eat ham, hard-boiled eggs with horseradish. On Easter Monday boys visit their relatives and friends, and sprinkle women and girls with perfume or water. They get money, chocolate bunnies or painted eggs. In England many people go to church on Easter Sunday. Children get Easter eggs, which symbolise new life and which are usually made of chocolate with a present inside. Easter Monday is a bank holiday and many people go to travelling fun fairs on this day.