Gravediggers compete in manual excavation championship in Hungary

In the town of Nyergesújfalu, northern Hungary, thirty-eight gravediggers participated in a professional competition to showcase their craft. Organized by the Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators of Hungary, the ninth edition of the tournament featured 19 teams working in pairs.

Using only manual tools, competitors were tasked with excavating a grave measuring 2 meters long, 80 centimeters wide, and 1.60 meters deep. The task was made more difficult by hardened soil following a dry summer. While speed was a primary factor, a commission also evaluated the qualitative aspects of the final grave shape.

Róbert Nagy and László Kiss won the competition, completing the excavation in 1 hour and 21 minutes. They shared a prize of 200,000 Hungarian forints. According to József Varga, president of the association, the event aims to increase visibility for the profession and attract new workers to the funeral sector, noting that manual excavation remains essential in crowded or narrow cemetery areas where machinery cannot operate.