We date the day of Jesus' conception to March 25. This date was formed in such a way that when the celebration of the day of Jesus' birth was made on December 25, they counted back nine months and thus fixed the date of the holiday on this day. Since 624, the church has been celebrating the memory of God sending the archangel Gabriel to bring the news to the Virgin Mary of the great mystery of the Mother of God: the birth of the Savior.
Its Hungarian name comes from the fact that the grafting of trees used to be done around this time. The beliefs associated with the holiday also reflect this. For example, in Göcsej, it was believed that the tree that is grafted on this day should not be broken or cut, because blood flows from it. The shepherds associate the moment of the beginning of spring with this day, when the grass begins to sprout. They say, "A fruit planter makes the field grow." A fruit picker brings back the songbirds that moved to other regions in the winter.
There are countless such traditions, all of which refer to spring, the beginning of life. It is a tradition that lives on to this day that anyone who prays the prayer beginning "Hail Mary, full of malt..." a thousand times on the day of the Fruit Festival will have their wish for a good cause fulfilled.
