Dyngus Smigus
The Easter season in Poland ends on Monday when the traditional "Dyngus-Smigus" custom is observed. It is a humorous Easter time custom. The young people break the solemnity of Easter by a burst of frivolity. They visit from house to house singing songs, playing pranks and merrymaking.
The origin of this custom is unknown. Some say it is a pagan tradition handed down from the earliest settlers in Poland. During these ancient times, not only water was used during Smigus-Dyngus, but gifts were also exchanged, most often eggs. Others assert it is a reminder that the sinner has been washed clean in the blood of Christ, newly risen from the dead.
The church discouraged these practices, even threatening excommunication. During King Wladyslaw Jagiello's reign, a resolution was passed forbidding these practices. Never-the-less, Dyngus remained a popular pastime throughout the country. Every year, on Easter Monday, the boys would lie in wait armed with buckets of water waiting for the girls to come out of their houses. As soon as they appeared, the boys doused them with water. The girls reciprocated in kind.
These drenchings were carried out with such gusto that it wasn't only the girls that got wet. If a local priest or any other villager happened by, he would also get his share of the wetting. It was not uncommon for the drenchings to take place by the local pond or river if there was one nearby, where there was a copious supply of water! On this one day of the year (sometimes called wet Monday) every one took their soaking in good spirit! No one was hurt, just wet!
Today, this tradition has become somewhat subdued and is practiced with more gentility. Boys in the city use less water and sometimes perfume to sprinkle on the girls' heads on Easter Monday. A long time ago, the tradition of Smigus-Dyngus ended with Pentecost, but today it lasts only one day and is still filled with the unforgettable ancient stirring of emotions.
Po polsku