Hungarian folk dress is best known through its embroidery, and two traditions in particular have earned official recognition.
Matyó embroidery
The Matyó community around Mezőkövesd in north-eastern Hungary is known for floral flat-stitch embroidery. It decorates traditional regional dress worn at celebrations and folk dancing, and its motifs also appear in interiors and contemporary fashion. The Matyó Folk Art Association was founded in 1991 to pass on the skills, and UNESCO inscribed the tradition in 2012.
Kalocsa folk art
Kalocsa embroidery and wall painting feature brightly coloured flowers and are often seen as representative of Hungarian folk art. The tradition developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in villages around Kalocsa and is carried on by women. It was listed as a Hungarikum in 2014. Events such as the Danube Folklore Festival and Kalocsa Paprika Days present the local clothing and dances.
Sources: UNESCO: Folk art of the Matyó, Hungarikum: Kalocsa folk art.
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