Lomtalanitás

Trash hunters - picture taken from our kitchen window today.


Your Hungarian culture lesson for the week:

The title lomtalanitás is translated as "house clearing" or "rubbish clearing". Every neighborhood has a lomtalanitás scheduled once or twice a year. During this time you may dump any trash by the dumpsters to be thrown away. But, what typically happens, the less fortunate of our communities roam through the areas where the trash is dumped, and they sort through it and find what they want to keep. They carry large bags for their treasures. If it is something very large, like a sofa or dresser, they will hold onto it until a friend or relative can arrive with a vehicle to take it away. (We have been told stories of how these people will get into fights over their claims!) So this morning on my way to school I saw an older woman sitting in a couch down the street, staking her claim. People who are interested will find out when the lomtalanitás is scheduled, and will start looking early in the morning. It was still dark outside this morning when I heard people going through the trash just below our window. Now, as I write this, I still hear people sifting through the junk. This could go on all week, from what I am told.