Dyngus Day is always celebrated the Monday after Easter ...
Śmigus-dyngus (shmee-goose-ding-goose; also known as lany poniedziałek, meaning "Wet Monday" in Polish) is a celebration held on Easter Monday in Poland and Ukraine. It is also observed by Polish diaspora communities, particularly among Polish Americans, who call it Dyngus Day. Similar celebrations are held in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and in Hungary, where it is known as Vízbevető or Water Plunge Monday.
Traditionally, boys throw water over girls and spank them with pussy willow branches on Easter Monday, and girls do the same to boys on Easter Tuesday. This is accompanied by a number of other rituals, such as making verse declarations and holding door-to-door processions, in some regions involving boys dressed as bears. The origins of the celebration are uncertain, but it may date to pagan times (before 1000 AD); it is described in writing as early as the 15th century. It continues to be observed in Central Europe, and also in the United States, where certain patriotic American elements have been added to the traditional Polish ones.
Dyngus Day is observed in many Polish American communities, most notably in Buffalo, New York, which hosts the largest continuing event commemorating the day. The Buffalo dyngus celebrations only started in the 1960s as an effort by the Polish-American community in the city to find a new focus for its identity. It proved hugely successful, to the point that a local newspaper claimed that "everybody is Polish on Dyngus Day." It has become a fusion of Polish and American traditions, with polka bands, a parade, consumption of krupnik, and Polish food accompanying American patriotic songs sung in English. Party-goers dress up in the white-and-red colors of the Polish flag and carry balloons saying "Happy Dyngus Day" in English.
Source(s): wikipedia | wivb Official site: dyngusday
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