Smingus Dyngus
We’re not going to be in Poland on the annual "Smingus Dyngus" day. I did want, however, to let you see why it's probably better that we planned the Krakow trip for July instead of April. On the Monday after Easter, Poles carry on an ancient tradition of dousing each other with water. We used to do this at mom and dad’s house, though usually with just a small glassful, nothing like they do it in Poland. Maybe you guys did the same thing. We used to call it "ducking day." In any case, I think that the original custom had something to do with purification and fertility. Basically, a guy sneaks up on a girl and chucks a bucket of water on her. I’d have been married long ago if only courting could be so simple. Actually, anyone can get into the act. It doesn’t have to be just guys squirting girls. Basically, it’s a time-honored excuse to blast some poor sucker with a bucket, super-soaker or whatever is handy. Check out these videos:
Here’s a drive-by:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXascvGNeyE
This one is nasty:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsUNq3rw91g
In smaller towns, the fire company gets involved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln_9jG7RTb8&feature=related
Here’s a news story about how the whole town celebrates Smingus Dyngus after church on Easter Monday. It’s in Polish, but you get the idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IShyp7j8NhQ&feature=related
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Topic: Smingus Dyngus
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