Eva Pater
Smigus Dyngus – The Wet Monday
Rooted in pagan ritual of purification and once forbidden by the Catholic Church, the tradition of Smigus Dyngus survived through centuries and keeps on thriving in modern Poland. The tradition is deeply associated with the Catholic holiday of Easter and is widely carried out on Easter Monday. The custom involves people soaking each other with water and it has two versions nowadays: one gentle and home-based, and the other rather unpleasant when full buckets and large water balloons are dumped on innocent people just trying to get from place to place on that day.
Although the origins of the custom are not certain, it is commonly believed that Smigus Dyngus is a pagan tradition handed down from the earliest settlers in Poland. It was “an ancient spring rite of cleansing, purification and fertility” (Krysa). Dousing with water and switching with pussy willow branches was practiced in order to cleanse oneself and make oneself pure and worthy of the coming year. In early Middle Ages, the Church discouraged the practices and in 1400s, during Wladyslaw Jagiello’s reign, they were even forbidden (Polish Parish Luton/Dunstable website). Despite that, the custom survived. It is likely that later on the Church simply adopted the holiday and that is why it is celebrated during Easter. Many celebrations around the world that were considered pagan were adopted by the Church in the past. The reason behind that was that it made it easier for the Church to convert people if its holidays were similar to what those prospective new members were familiar with (Thompson, p.5).
As first recorded writings on Smigus Dyngus from Middle Ages state, it was practiced universally, both among the common folk and the noblemen. The men would invade houses and rooms where women slept. They sometimes entered through chimneys or windows if the men living in the house did not let them in. Then they woke the women abruptly by soaking them with water. Not much was left dry in the surroundings. It is hard to imagine the experience would be pleasant for the women; they were happy to get drenched, however, as according to a common belief those who remained dry would not marry that year. The following day, on Tuesday, the women would pay the men back in kind (Garczynski).
Smigus Dyngus is still a very common and lively tradition in modern Poland. It is joyfully practiced probably in every home, and most certainly in every home where children live. Typically, at homes people use smaller amounts of water, less than cupfuls, or they employ small squirt guns being careful not to soak the pillows, comforters, carpets or furniture. At some homes, and it was the case with my grandparents’ home, perfume is used instead of water. My family often spent Christmas and Easter at my grandparents’ and I remember my grandmother graciously waking me up on Easter Monday morning by spraying some delicate perfume on me saying: “Smigus Dyngus!” She used the old-fashioned bottle with a rubber pump. It was quite nice to be woken up in that way.
The situation is very different outside during that day. A lot of people go to church and unfortunately are often drenched on the way by teenage boys running around and dumping bucketfuls of water on their victims. In general, they do seem to have some respect for the elderly and try to soak only the younger and the able. However, it also happens that no discretion applies when a water balloon or a plastic bag filled with water is thrown off a balcony or a roof of a building and soaks the unlucky passersby. In the recent decades, Smigus Dyngus seems to have become a rather significant problem in larger cities, because there are numerous angry and disrespectful hooligans out there with large amounts of water. They often keep together in large bands and do not care who their victims are. They have no respect for their age, health, clothes or other property. They will even dump large bucketfuls of water on people who are getting out of their cars, soaking both the people and the interior of their vehicles. There also have been reports of hooligans invading public transportation and dumping water on people inside, endangering the health and safety of many.
It is worth noting that usually it is rather cold in Poland during Easter. The holiday falls either in March or April and it is rare that the temperatures would get in the sixties at that time. It is also often cloudy, sometimes drizzly or raining. As anyone can imagine it must be a very unpleasant experience to get soaked with cold water when it is chilly outside and one is wearing warm clothes trying to stay warm.
It is unfortunate that anger and frustration of hooligans found their outlet in this innocent tradition. Generally though, people remain hopeful that the problem is only temporary and with proper law enforcement and economic growth, there will be fewer hooligans and those who remain will be out of the streets. Going to church on Easter Monday, they hope, will not be a cause of distress to anyone in near future. They continue to focus on the fun and more gentle aspect of the holiday and still enjoy it greatly.
Works Cited
“Dyngus Smigus” Polish Parish Luton/Dunstable 2007
http://www.ppld.co.uk/en/easter_dyngus.htm
Garczynski, Stan. “Smigus – Dyngus”, PGST News Spring 1994, Vol. XI No.1
http://pgsa.org/traditions.htm#10
Krysa, Czeslaw. ”The Origins of Dyngus Day”, Polish American Journal 2004
http://www.polamjournal.com/polka/dyngus.html
Thompson, Sue Ellen. Holiday Symbols. 2nd ed. Detroit, MI: Omniographics, 2000
Smigus Dyngus – The Wet Monday
Rooted in pagan ritual of purification and once forbidden by the Catholic Church, the tradition of Smigus Dyngus survived through centuries and keeps on thriving in modern Poland. The tradition is deeply associated with the Catholic holiday of Easter and is widely carried out on Easter Monday. The custom involves people soaking each other with water and it has two versions nowadays: one gentle and home-based, and the other rather unpleasant when full buckets and large water balloons are dumped on innocent people just trying to get from place to place on that day.
Although the origins of the custom are not certain, it is commonly believed that Smigus Dyngus is a pagan tradition handed down from the earliest settlers in Poland. It was “an ancient spring rite of cleansing, purification and fertility” (Krysa). Dousing with water and switching with pussy willow branches was practiced in order to cleanse oneself and make oneself pure and worthy of the coming year. In early Middle Ages, the Church discouraged the practices and in 1400s, during Wladyslaw Jagiello’s reign, they were even forbidden (Polish Parish Luton/Dunstable website). Despite that, the custom survived. It is likely that later on the Church simply adopted the holiday and that is why it is celebrated during Easter. Many celebrations around the world that were considered pagan were adopted by the Church in the past. The reason behind that was that it made it easier for the Church to convert people if its holidays were similar to what those prospective new members were familiar with (Thompson, p.5).
As first recorded writings on Smigus Dyngus from Middle Ages state, it was practiced universally, both among the common folk and the noblemen. The men would invade houses and rooms where women slept. They sometimes entered through chimneys or windows if the men living in the house did not let them in. Then they woke the women abruptly by soaking them with water. Not much was left dry in the surroundings. It is hard to imagine the experience would be pleasant for the women; they were happy to get drenched, however, as according to a common belief those who remained dry would not marry that year. The following day, on Tuesday, the women would pay the men back in kind (Garczynski).
Smigus Dyngus is still a very common and lively tradition in modern Poland. It is joyfully practiced probably in every home, and most certainly in every home where children live. Typically, at homes people use smaller amounts of water, less than cupfuls, or they employ small squirt guns being careful not to soak the pillows, comforters, carpets or furniture. At some homes, and it was the case with my grandparents’ home, perfume is used instead of water. My family often spent Christmas and Easter at my grandparents’ and I remember my grandmother graciously waking me up on Easter Monday morning by spraying some delicate perfume on me saying: “Smigus Dyngus!” She used the old-fashioned bottle with a rubber pump. It was quite nice to be woken up in that way.
The situation is very different outside during that day. A lot of people go to church and unfortunately are often drenched on the way by teenage boys running around and dumping bucketfuls of water on their victims. In general, they do seem to have some respect for the elderly and try to soak only the younger and the able. However, it also happens that no discretion applies when a water balloon or a plastic bag filled with water is thrown off a balcony or a roof of a building and soaks the unlucky passersby. In the recent decades, Smigus Dyngus seems to have become a rather significant problem in larger cities, because there are numerous angry and disrespectful hooligans out there with large amounts of water. They often keep together in large bands and do not care who their victims are. They have no respect for their age, health, clothes or other property. They will even dump large bucketfuls of water on people who are getting out of their cars, soaking both the people and the interior of their vehicles. There also have been reports of hooligans invading public transportation and dumping water on people inside, endangering the health and safety of many.
It is worth noting that usually it is rather cold in Poland during Easter. The holiday falls either in March or April and it is rare that the temperatures would get in the sixties at that time. It is also often cloudy, sometimes drizzly or raining. As anyone can imagine it must be a very unpleasant experience to get soaked with cold water when it is chilly outside and one is wearing warm clothes trying to stay warm.
It is unfortunate that anger and frustration of hooligans found their outlet in this innocent tradition. Generally though, people remain hopeful that the problem is only temporary and with proper law enforcement and economic growth, there will be fewer hooligans and those who remain will be out of the streets. Going to church on Easter Monday, they hope, will not be a cause of distress to anyone in near future. They continue to focus on the fun and more gentle aspect of the holiday and still enjoy it greatly.
Works Cited
“Dyngus Smigus” Polish Parish Luton/Dunstable 2007
http://www.ppld.co.uk/en/easter_dyngus.htm
Garczynski, Stan. “Smigus – Dyngus”, PGST News Spring 1994, Vol. XI No.1
http://pgsa.org/traditions.htm#10
Krysa, Czeslaw. ”The Origins of Dyngus Day”, Polish American Journal 2004
http://www.polamjournal.com/polka/dyngus.html
Thompson, Sue Ellen. Holiday Symbols. 2nd ed. Detroit, MI: Omniographics, 2000
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