Hunglish.orgOne of the odder rituals in Hungary is something called "lomtalanítás," which looks like a garbage strike and may actually be a form of socialized refuse distribution...
Written by Scott Savoie
In the spring and early summer comes a special time in Hungary.
It is called "lomtalanítás”. This is can be roughly translated as "a time when more garbage than usual is left on the side of the road in Hungary.” Or, more colloquially and less flatteringly, "Gypsy Christmas.”
It looks like a garbage strike.
Everything from ruined old sofas to smashed up TVs, to old grubby clothes, to useless and broken computer equipment can be found there. Yours to keep.
It’s socialized refuse distribution.
People even leave underwear out there, although I am not sure who gets their underwear from junk-clearing. Hopefully nobody I know well.
I can see this being a Hungarian schoolyard taunt: „yo mamma wear tongas she find by the road!”
I used to live in Kőbanya; a couch left out for adoption there could be a veteran of, say, four or maybe five lomtalanítások. By the time it is left out in the 10th district, its usefulness as an actual couch is long past. By then, the sofas are more like modern art pieces that says something about decay – moral and otherwise.
This word doesn’t translate into American English. In the US, if we need to get rid of stuff, we have a „garage sale” to try and make money from poor schlubs that don’t know the shit is broken. The rest has to be taken to the dump, and for that you need to buy, lease, or rent a truck or van. Or befriend someone who has such a vehicle and dispose of your own rubbish on your own dime.
Unfortunately in modern Hungary, rubbish of all discriptions is left along the streets to avoid the costs of disposing of it properly. Lomtalanítás is the institutionalization of this behaviour.