The Uniworld New Year’s Eve event in the Ethinographic Museum main hall achieved gala status though things fell apart shortly before Midnight. We are not big on big parties, so the screw ups made the night memorably epic.

During the course of the dinner, which began around 7:30 with unidentifiable hors d’ouvres and  sparkling wine only slightly sweeter than Coke, we were entertained by a chamber music quintet, opera and operetta singers, dancers, a rock band, and incredible sand drawing. The sand drawing was created by an artist before our eyes, spilling sand through his fingers to create complex images, which were then projected on a screen. This was an impressive, if unusual, display of artistry.

There was a discernible effort to expose the audience to the virtues of Hungarian opera. Now, if you are not into opera, you might not realize that there is Hungarian opera. And if you are an opera fanatic, you still would never have heard any of these pieces. The Italians have nothing to fear. 

Some people complained that the libretti were in Hungarian and they could not understand what was going on. Right, like they could understand Italian, German, or French operas. The music was pleasent and it was different–wasn’t that why were were in Hungary to begin with?

Later, during the main course, there was a brief interlude with songs from Sound of Music, and that seemed to appease the linguistically concerned among us.

The seeds of chaos began earlier in the evening with the mistaken shipboard announcement that busses ferrying guests home from the gala would leave at 11:15pm and 2am. So, when the clock struck 11:15 over half the guests rushed to grab their coats and leave, thinking they’d be stuck at the party for 2 1/2 hours more. This in the middle of a dancing Hungarian Opera (as far as I could tell, there are two types of Hungarian opera: one, where the singers stand tall and sing; and one where they sing and dance. That fact that no one has heard of Hungarian opera certainly is not due to lack of innovation on the part of the Hungarians. Dancing opera is a bit like an American musical in Hansel and Gretal dress.) So, everything ground to an embarrassing halt while the lemmings went on the lam.

Our table of 10, four Aussies and six Californians, remained to enjoy the festivities. And, our Aussie friends showed true class by inviting over a couple of other guests left abandoned at their table. 

But, the pace of the evening had been tripped up. The Hungarians now announced that the New Year’s festivities would commence, Hungarian style. Big musical numbers, plenty of excitement, grand fanale. And it all ended with confetti  at 11:45. That’s right, we celebrated the new year in silence. Finally, someone in the now-assembled rock band, thought to do a countdown, and we Happy New Yeared a few minutes after midnight. Then the band played Fifties and Sixites American rock and many of us danced the twist, and Lindy, (yours truly did no Marcia twirls), while the Aussies did their “infinity” dance (basically, you dance opposite, but not touching your partner, and move one of your arms in a figure 8 horizontally).