How Katalin Novák is preparing for Christmas and New Year – "I always strive to be truly present where I am"

What extra tasks does a Head of State have during Advent?

Many people may not know that the Head of State is the Commander-in-Chief of the Hungarian Army, so as Christmas approaches, it is my duty to visit Hungarian soldiers serving in Iraq who are away from their loved ones during the holidays. In addition to the official gifts, I also visit their families and personally "deliver" gifts made by their loved ones. Advent is first and foremost about waiting, about quieting down and helping each other to do so, beyond the family.

This is not a time to intensify things, but to create space in our hearts.

To reach out to those in need. I was able to light the first candle of the Advent wreath in the darkened street of Beregszász (Berehovo), in Transcarpathia, Ukraine, among the many people gathered to celebrate. We also collect donations these weeks for those in need. I try to help raise awareness and support good causes.

How can you quiet your soul down amidst the media noise?

I think it's entirely up to us. Although it is indeed difficult, it is difficult regardless of the position. It's not easy to understand in all this noise that Advent is not primarily about getting everything ready for the holidays and falling over ourselves to do so. In fact, we will be ready if we are able to let go of some of our to-do lists and really pay attention to what is important. We need to be present in our spiritual preparation.

What time do you want to get home to celebrate?

I always strive to be truly present where I am. If you long to be somewhere else or concentrate on the next thing or even the previous thing you did, there is not much point in what you are doing. Of course, I’d like to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the first days of the holidays with my family, but that's not exclusive. Fortunately, the children are old enough now so we can coordinate family events well with office-related tasks. They often accompany me and want to understand why something is important. For example, bringing presents to people who are in need at Christmas time.

We encourage our children to prepare something, to offer something at this time of the year, to experience what it feels like to help others.

Is there a family tradition that there is no Christmas without?

We don't stick rigidly to traditions. I have found that inflexibility leads to tension. Of course, we have recurring habits, such as making Christmas candy or singing together, but there is no compulsory menu or set rule. Each year we give advent calendars to our children. It’s usually not a separate gift for each day, but something that adds up to create something whole, something special in the end. All this helps you to wait, and it is not even necessarily a material gift.

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Photo: Jácint Jónás

You will deliver your first New Year speech this year. How are you preparing for it? Do you think of something that is an important topic months in advance, or do you wait for what's going to be topical at that time?

The President of Hungary should speak out at highlighted moments. They should reflect on the general mood and condition of the people, they should express that they live with them, empathize with them, and are in the same community as them. Such highlighted occasions were my election, my inauguration, the national holiday on 20 August, and my speech at the UN General Assembly. On the last day of the year, like everyone else, I have to look back over the previous year and a little bit ahead to the next, but all in relation to the country, the nation. My New Year's speech can be a resource for those who listen, and that is what I will strive to do. I am constantly storing up certain impulses, experiences, and thoughts, but the current situation will be the determining factor. I will try to speak in a way that is both current and lasting.

Can we say that the coming year with this position also means the greatest possible professional freedom?

I have five years. I consider myself a sovereign person, and now I have been elected to a sovereign office. I can work for what I believe in. I am convinced that there are more things that unite us Hungarians than divide us, and there are highlighted moments when we feel this community. I look for these and try to show them to as many people as possible. This is how I work to show the unity of the nation.

I represent this country, and I want many people to see: Hungary is smiley and lovable.

It's a position I never aspired to, but I'm grateful for the opportunity that comes with it. It has come at a time in my life when I feel that I already have much to say and do and will have more.