The Tisza Blooms, and the Soul Remembers

Once a year, in mid-June, the Tisza River offers the world a breathtaking spectacle – The Blooming of the Tisza. In that brief, wondrous moment, millions of insects rise from the riverbed silt – the Tisza mayfly (Palingenia longicauda), one of the oldest insect species in Europe. After spending three years underwater as larvae, the adult insects emerge to the surface, mate in a massive, almost ritual dance – and then die. Their adult life lasts only a few hours. Yet, what is brief is by no means worthless – quite the opposite.

This “Tisza wedding,” as people poetically call it, is a symbol of eternal love, renewal through rebirth, and the fleeting nature of life. Above the water’s surface, at twilight, a dance of light and silence unfolds – the river literally “blooms,” and the sight appears unreal, almost mythical.

Where Nature Sings

The most beautiful view of this phenomenon is from Novi Bečej, a gentle town in the Banat region that, in mid-June, becomes a meeting point of nature and spirit. The riverbanks fill with people who, in silence, witness the miracle – children fall quiet, photographers wait for the perfect shot, and the river whispers its timeless legacy.

A stay in Novi Bečej does not end at the river’s edge. Take a stroll to the Glavaš House, a Baroque building from the 19th century that now serves as a gallery and cultural venue. Its windows overlook the Tisza, and every corner carries the spirit of a bygone era.

Not far from town, alone among the fields, surrounded by plains and silence, lie the ruins of a magnificent 13th-century church. The Catholic Church of Saint Nicholas in Arača was once rich in ornamentation, remnants of which are still visible on its façade.

Its silhouette resembles an old song the wind still remembers.

The Tisza doesn’t bloom every day – but when it does, the heart blooms too. Visit Novi Bečej during that time, breathe in the river’s silence, witness how nature celebrates life, and take with you a memory no photograph can truly capture.