Dyngus Day is the Polish name given to Easter Monday. Filled with great Polish food, drink, music, and dance, this occasion is not one to be missed. In this article, we will discuss the history, legends, and the various traditions that make Dyngus Day such a special and fun day.
Traditions of Dyngus Day
Prom-Dresses
Did You Know?
In South Bend, Indiana, and its surrounding regions, Dyngus Day is celebrated elaborately each year. On this day, all bars in the area serve as bus stops, where revelers use the buses to barhop throughout the day.
Dyngus Day, also known as Śmigus-Dyngus Day, or Lany Poniedzialek, is a Slavic festive holiday steeped in symbolism, and celebrated across Poland and many Polish communities across the United States. It takes place on Easter Monday each year, after the serious period of Lent, and is considered as a fun and enjoyable occasion for people of all ages. In religious context, this day symbolizes the beginning of Catholicism in the Polish people. The meaning of Dyngus Day comes from the medieval word 'dingnus', which means worthy or suitable. It is a day of dancing, drinking beer, eating great Polish food, and a strange courting ritual, which brings people from all over in search of true love.
History of Dyngus Day
It is thought that the Poles who worshiped the pagan nature gods would gain the favor of nature spirits by pouring water and hitting themselves with pussy willows, to make themselves pure and worthy for the following year. Dyngus Day traditions can be dated back to 966 A.D., when the Polish Prince Mieszko I was baptized, signaling that all of Poland was now a Christian nation. The idea of purification through baptism was eventually turned into a fun event, where boys would soak girls with buckets of water. These traditions were also believed to be inspired by the wedding of the Lithuanian Duke Jagiello, and the Polish Queen Jadwiga, which involved a large number of baptisms on the Lithuanian side.
Another legend that is related to this festival is about a Polish Princess named Wanda. It is believed that the princess drowned herself in the river when she was being forced into marrying a man that she did not love. In honor of her memory, girls are to be soaked in water on Dyngus Day. This practice of pouring water is considered a spring rite of fertility, cleansing, and purity.
Traditions of Dyngus Day
Ceremonies and Rituals: Dyngus Day is also known as Wet Monday, as on this day it was a tradition for males to soak females whom they found attractive, with buckets of water, and as such, the more beautiful women would find themselves being drenched throughout the day. It is believed that the more a girl got drenched, the higher were her chances of getting married soon.
In earlier times, women were supposed to throw dishes back at the men on the next day as a tradition of retribution. However, in recent times, women just throw buckets of water at the men on the same day. Alternatively, girls can also hand over Easter eggs to the boys if they do not wish to be drenched. Following this, the soaking stalks of pussy willows are used to smack each other. This tradition is known as Smigus Dyngus. American-Polish people end these festivities with a polka dance.
According to an old tradition, any woman found sleeping in bed on the morning of Easter Monday could be swatted with pussy willow switches by the men, who would then proceed to take away her Easter eggs while chanting 'Dyngus, dyngus, po dwa jaja; nie chce chleba tylko jaja!' (Dyngus, dyngus, for two eggs; I don't want bread but eggs).
Another tradition is for the revelers to pull around a cart or wheelbarrow with a live or wooden rooster, and visiting homes in the locality, similar to the Trick-or-Treat tradition, to collect various items of food and drink. This practice has faded out of urban areas nowadays, and can be seen rarely in very rural places where the community is extremely close-knit.
Food: Traditional Dyngus Day food consists of a huge variety of Polish foods. The most popular dishes include sauerkraut, Polish sausages, pickled eggs, sweet and sour noodles, casseroles, bigos (Polish stew made of beef, pork, cabbage, and dates), kielbasa, meatballs, and pierogi - a type of steamed dumpling.
Prom-Dresses
In America, many Polish-American communities observe Dyngus Day. Buffalo, New York, is officially considered as the Dyngus Day capital of the nation. Here, one can find the highest number of festival venues, polka bands, and other Polish traditions. So, get yourself to any of the venues which hold this event, dance to polka tunes, drink some Polish beer, and thank the hosts for the wonderful time you had by saying 'Dziekuja' at the end of the day.
Traditions of Dyngus Day
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| Prom-Dresses |
Did You Know?
In South Bend, Indiana, and its surrounding regions, Dyngus Day is celebrated elaborately each year. On this day, all bars in the area serve as bus stops, where revelers use the buses to barhop throughout the day.
Dyngus Day, also known as Śmigus-Dyngus Day, or Lany Poniedzialek, is a Slavic festive holiday steeped in symbolism, and celebrated across Poland and many Polish communities across the United States. It takes place on Easter Monday each year, after the serious period of Lent, and is considered as a fun and enjoyable occasion for people of all ages. In religious context, this day symbolizes the beginning of Catholicism in the Polish people. The meaning of Dyngus Day comes from the medieval word 'dingnus', which means worthy or suitable. It is a day of dancing, drinking beer, eating great Polish food, and a strange courting ritual, which brings people from all over in search of true love.
History of Dyngus Day
It is thought that the Poles who worshiped the pagan nature gods would gain the favor of nature spirits by pouring water and hitting themselves with pussy willows, to make themselves pure and worthy for the following year. Dyngus Day traditions can be dated back to 966 A.D., when the Polish Prince Mieszko I was baptized, signaling that all of Poland was now a Christian nation. The idea of purification through baptism was eventually turned into a fun event, where boys would soak girls with buckets of water. These traditions were also believed to be inspired by the wedding of the Lithuanian Duke Jagiello, and the Polish Queen Jadwiga, which involved a large number of baptisms on the Lithuanian side.
Another legend that is related to this festival is about a Polish Princess named Wanda. It is believed that the princess drowned herself in the river when she was being forced into marrying a man that she did not love. In honor of her memory, girls are to be soaked in water on Dyngus Day. This practice of pouring water is considered a spring rite of fertility, cleansing, and purity.
Traditions of Dyngus Day
Ceremonies and Rituals: Dyngus Day is also known as Wet Monday, as on this day it was a tradition for males to soak females whom they found attractive, with buckets of water, and as such, the more beautiful women would find themselves being drenched throughout the day. It is believed that the more a girl got drenched, the higher were her chances of getting married soon.
In earlier times, women were supposed to throw dishes back at the men on the next day as a tradition of retribution. However, in recent times, women just throw buckets of water at the men on the same day. Alternatively, girls can also hand over Easter eggs to the boys if they do not wish to be drenched. Following this, the soaking stalks of pussy willows are used to smack each other. This tradition is known as Smigus Dyngus. American-Polish people end these festivities with a polka dance.
According to an old tradition, any woman found sleeping in bed on the morning of Easter Monday could be swatted with pussy willow switches by the men, who would then proceed to take away her Easter eggs while chanting 'Dyngus, dyngus, po dwa jaja; nie chce chleba tylko jaja!' (Dyngus, dyngus, for two eggs; I don't want bread but eggs).
Another tradition is for the revelers to pull around a cart or wheelbarrow with a live or wooden rooster, and visiting homes in the locality, similar to the Trick-or-Treat tradition, to collect various items of food and drink. This practice has faded out of urban areas nowadays, and can be seen rarely in very rural places where the community is extremely close-knit.
Food: Traditional Dyngus Day food consists of a huge variety of Polish foods. The most popular dishes include sauerkraut, Polish sausages, pickled eggs, sweet and sour noodles, casseroles, bigos (Polish stew made of beef, pork, cabbage, and dates), kielbasa, meatballs, and pierogi - a type of steamed dumpling.
Prom-Dresses
In America, many Polish-American communities observe Dyngus Day. Buffalo, New York, is officially considered as the Dyngus Day capital of the nation. Here, one can find the highest number of festival venues, polka bands, and other Polish traditions. So, get yourself to any of the venues which hold this event, dance to polka tunes, drink some Polish beer, and thank the hosts for the wonderful time you had by saying 'Dziekuja' at the end of the day.
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