Hungary, a land of flat plains, mountains and the Danube River, has a rich and diverse cultural life. It has a thousand years of history and its people celebrate historic events with great fervor and enthusiasm. While much of the country is agricultural, cities such as Budapest are coming into their own. Budapest, the "Paris" of Hungary, is an old city filled with Turkish mosques, Christian churches, museums, zoos, theaters, coffee houses and restaurants. Christmas is a joyous time of year in Hungary. Families celebrate with song, church, family and good food. Hungarians are known for their delicious foods spiced with paprika and peppers. Hungarian pastries and strudels are some of the best in the world and always present at the Christmas table. Hungarian children wait for Father Christmas, or "Mikulas", as he is known there. Mikulas is dressed in the costume of the "puszta", the plains which make up the soul of Hungary. Here the vastness of the sky and untamed earth captures the spirit of the horsemen of the puszta whose image of freedom has always captured the imaginations of Hungarians. His coat is heavily embroidered with flowers and hearts and lined with the fur of the curly horned rams that dot the countryside. Hanging from his sack are simple gifts. There is an old saying in Hungary that when a visitor arrives as a guest, they leave as a friend. At no time is this more true than during the Christmas Season. Kellemes Karacsonyt!