Sorry \u2014 This was what I was going to write about yesterday, but my self pity got in the way. But anyhow, here it is even if it’s a day late. Hope you enjoyed Dingus Day<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dingus Day (called Dingus Day, Easter Monday, Wet Monday, or Smigus Dyngus<\/em>) is a Polish holiday that originated around A.D. 966, when Poland\u2019s Prince Mieszko I accepted Christianity and was baptized with his entire court. Since then, the celebration has evolved from an annual mock-baptism to a sort of courting ritual, during which a young man douses his dream girl in the hope that she\u2019ll be flattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That seems like a strange tradition, but it\u2019s one that’s still practiced today, especially in the communities of Buffalo, New York, and South Bend, Indiana. In those cities, everyone is packing at least a water pistol on Dingus Day, and some more enterprising soakers make use of garden, or even fire hoses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Traditionally Dyngus Day has meant more than just a water fight. In addition to the wet wake-up call, boys would fashion small whips of pussy willow or birch branches and use them to strike their lovers on the shins. In Poland, where matchmaking is a big deal, a young girl who didn\u2019t receive these attentions was considered hopeless \u2014 romantically speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mercifully, the shin-swatting tradition has largely fallen by the wayside, and participants in Dingus Day now focus almost exclusively on the irreverent fun that goes along with a citywide water war. Visitors to Poland, Buffalo, or South Bend on the day after Easter are advised to bring a few changes of clothes \u2014 and perhaps a bandolier of water balloons.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe an old Polish proverb says it best \u2026. On Dingus Day, laughter and water flow freely, washing away winter\u2019s chill and welcoming spring\u2019s renewal. Sorry \u2014 This was what I was going to write about yesterday, but my self pity got in the way. But anyhow, here it is even if it’s a day late. Hope you enjoyed Dingus Day Dingus Day (called Dingus … Continue reading
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