By Christine Ball


Imagine a celebration where boys soak girls with water and hit each other with pussy willows, then dance and sing to polka music. Sound odd? Well it does exist and the celebration is called Dyngus Day.

Students who are not from the Buffalo area or from Polish descent may have been confused when hearing all the talk about Dyngus Day, which was held this year April 21.

Dyngus Day, or Smigus Dyngus, means Easter Monday or Wet Monday. The celebration originated in Poland and celebrates the birth of Christianity in Poland. There is a strong Polish community in the Buffalo area so Dyngus Day is very popular every year on the Monday after Easter.

The strong Polish heritage in this area can be traced back to Peter Stadnitski, who settled in Western New York from Poland. Between the years 1873 through 1922, Polish- Americans had established 34 churches in the area.

Originally, girls being doused with water symbolized purity and fertility. The custom also used to consist of going to door to door and getting treats. It can be compared to trick or treating at Halloween. Only a small number of rural areas in Poland still practice this tradition.

So next year, be sure to keep your Easter Monday open so you can enjoy your Dyngus Day, and boys, don’t forget your pussy willows.
For more information about Dyngus Day:
acweb.colum.edu/users/agunkel/
homepage/easter/eastdyngus.html

For information about the Polish Heritage in WNY:
www.wnylrc.org/dhp/ethnic/hspolish.htm