Museum of Ethnography Launches Year-Long Celebration of Shepherds and Pastures

A year-long series of programs will be launched at the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest in connection with the Year of Shepherds and Pastures.

The Museum of Ethnography is joining the International Year of Shepherds and Pastures in 2026 with a year-long series of scientific and educational programs. The series of domestic events for the thematic year initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will begin on February 26, the institution announced.

The program series will begin on February 26 with a lecture by a French anthropologist, followed by a free all-day program on March 5, the 154th anniversary of the founding of the Museum of Ethnography.

The aim of the initiative is to highlight the ecological, economic, and cultural significance of pastoralism. As they wrote, pastures, which cover almost half of the world’s landmass, are home to unique biodiversity and pastoral communities, and the livelihoods of billions of people are directly linked to grazing livestock. However, globalization, climate change, and land use conflicts are increasingly threatening this way of life and the ecological knowledge associated with it.

It has been pointed out that pastoral communities not only produce food, but also maintain ecological systems, preserve native animal breeds, and cultivate a rich cultural heritage from the Carpathian Basin through Africa and Asia to South America.

The museum’s programs aim to bring this diverse knowledge into the public discourse through scientific lectures, roundtable discussions, film screenings, music and dance programs, and events for children and families. The events are complemented by digital materials, including online collection selections and social media posts.

At the opening event of the program series, French anthropologist Jean-Baptiste Eczet will give a lecture in English on the social world of East African nomadic communities on February 26. This will be followed on March 5, the 154th anniversary of the institution’s founding, by the Museum of Ethnography Day, which will welcome visitors with free professional and family programs. The programs will focus on pastoralism and will include lectures, themed guided tours, musical performances, and craft workshops.

On April 25, St. George’s Day, the museum’s all-day family programs will evoke the rituals of the first grazing of animals.

On May 21, a roundtable discussion entitled “Nomadic Peoples in the Shadow of Agricultural Civilizations” will be held at the museum on historical and contemporary images of nomads.

The International Year of Sheep and Pastures will also play a prominent role in the Museum Night events and autumn programs: thematic evenings, film screenings, music programs, and collection presentations will be related to the theme, confirms the Museum of Ethnography.

Via MTI; Featured image: Fortepan / Magyar Földrajzi Múzeum / Erdélyi Mór cége

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