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WIZZ MAGAZINE
2015
PHOTO BY TIM E. WHITE, CORBIS
Užupis IndependenceDay
Fly toVilnius
Užupis ismore than just a
neighbourhood in theLithuanian
capital.The suburb isa state
withina state,with itsown
constitution, currencyand
national anthem. Its flagchanges
colouraccording to seasonand
a smiley face featureson its
border sign.Adilapidatedhub
forbohemians,Užupisdeclared
independence from theSoviet
UnionalongwithLithuania
itself in1990, and in the spirit
of goodwill, theparliament in
VilniusallowsUžupis tocelebrate
statehoodonceayear.The7,000
residentsgather toparty, beer
flows freely, andaprocession
winds itswayaround the
self-proclaimedmicrostate.
CabalgatadeReyesMagos
Fly toMadrid
TheTwelfthNight iscelebratedwithcarnivals
ineverycity, townandvillage inSpain.But in
Madrid, theendof theChristmas festivities
involves30 floatswithcostumedcharacters
dishingoutup toseven tonnesof sweetsand
somehalf amillionpeople taking to the streets
for theProcessionof theThreeKings.Aswell
asdispensingmedieval pageantry,modern-day
Caspars,BalthazarsandMelchiors re-enact
nativity scenes toentertain thecrowds.The
procession startsatNuevosMinisterios in the
earlyeveningandwinds itswayup thePaseode
laCastellana to thegrandfinaleat thePlazade
Cibeles.
5 January, turismomadrid.es/en
Mangalica (HairyPig)Festival
Fly toBudapest
Makeapigofyourselfat thisweekend-long
festivalcelebratingHungary’shairyhog– the
Mangalica.Begun in2008 topromotesales
of theonce-forgottenshaggybreed, theevent
hasgrownsubstantiallysince then,and the
pig’snotorietyhasboomedwith it.Budapest
nowevenhasashop, theHúspatika,or ‘Meat
Pharmacy’,purelydedicated to thedelicious
product. “Mangalicadominated thedomestic
marketuntil the1950s– then itallbutdiedout,”
saysownerand festivalco-founderAttilaVégh.
“In1991 therewereonly200 left.”Thepigsare
nowsopopular that theeventhasbeenupscaled
andmoved to themaindowntownsquareof
Szabadság tér,wheremusic, folkdancingand
entertainmentaccompany thecheerfulchomping
ofprimepork.Stuffyourownsausages, sample
Mangalicaburgersandmeet theproducers to
thank them inpersonat thisyummy festival.
6–8February,mangalicafesztival.hu
ClujShortsFilmFestival
Fly toCluj-Napoca
Notonly isCluj theculturalhubofRomania,but
it’salso2015’sEuropeanYouthCapital.Taking
over thereigns fromThessaloniki inGreece,Cluj
willhostanumberof initiatives throughout the
year,allaimedathaving long-termbenefits for
youngartistsandcreatives inTransylvania’sde
factocapital.Thestand-outculturaleventunder
theumbrellaofEYC2015 takesplaceoversixdays
inMarch:ClujShorts.Now in its thirdyear, this
cinematic festivalofshortfilms,documentaries
andanimationwillbe includinganewcategory to
mark theEYC festivities, ‘YoungEurope’.Already
thereareawards forfilm,documentaryand
animation.Of the600-plusworkssubmitted in
2014 fromauteurs inGermany,USandMoldova,
prizeswent tofilmsaboutborderguards,urban
beekeepingand thegrimreaper.All takesplace in
thedowntownVictoriaCinema,close to thebar
vortexofRomania’ssecondcity.
24–29March, clujshorts.ro
JANUARY
MARCH
APRIL
FEBRUARY
