Happy Dyngus Day
Yep, Its a Thing
Happy Dyngus Day. Actually, Dyngus Day was over a month or so ago on March 31, 2024. But, I had to post about the eclipse and Dyngus Day got pushed back a bit. But, I would be remiss if I did not give Dyngus Day its proper due…..so, Happy…belated…Dyngus Day.
Maybe its just me. But, I knew nothing about Dyngus Day until catching a news story on the coming celebration. So, in my usual somewhat abridged and loosely researched fashion, I had to investigate the basics of Dyngus Day. First, from a religious origin standpoint, Dyngus Day is the celebration at the end of the restrictive observances associated with Lent. Therefore, its always recognized on the day after Easter. There are also certain rituals involving the splashing of water and use of pussy willows that I will explain later. It can be observed all over the world. But, it has mostly evolved to be a big Polish cultural celebration. Apparently, Buffalo, NY, is the Dyngus capital of the USA. But, the Polish community in Cleveland also has a big Dyngus Day. So, its was off to Cleveland Dyngus Day.
Reality Check
Now, to their credit, the organizers did open the event with Mass at 10am (sadly, I arrived too late to attend). But, after that, the celebration was a bit thin on religious observances. Basically, Dyngus Day is a big Polish block party. There was a Polka band (i.e. accordion required) at one end…and there was a Polka band at the other end. In between, there was a crowd of people eating Polish food and drinking lots of beer.
I had the traditional Polish meal including a large Kielbasa with all the works, a couple of perogies, and a Tyskie beer. The Kielbasa was excellent. The perogies were overrated. And, Tyskie is a popular Polish beer. Its a pale lager so its pretty easy to consume in large quantities. I also partook in a paczki (POONCH-kee) for dessert. A paczki is a delicious little jelly filled pastry. All in all, I found the food and drink choices to be excellent at Dyngus Day.
Traditions
All ethnic celebrations require unique traditions to really separate themselves from the pack. For Dyngus Day, it has something to do with pussy willows and water splashing.
Now, my limited research is not going to do this tradition justice. But, from what I read, these things somehow represent the ancient spring rite of cleansing, purification and fertility. In modern Dyngus times, the pussy willow and water (usually squirt guns) seem to be a way of flirting. If you are interested in someone, you tap them with the pussy willow. I guess you can use your squirt gun too. But, that is not nearly as well received.
Ms. Dyngus Day
What ancient religious observance would be complete without a pageant. The Ms. Dyngus Day competition is no exception. Sadly, I did not stay around for the crowning of Ms. Dyngus Day. However, I do think I have a handle on the process. There is no talent portion, nor do you have answer questions on world peace. I think you just wear an appropriate costume, drink heavily, and wander the event showing your Dyngus spirit. At 5pm, the judges then select the attendee most representative of the true Dyngus spirit.
The throne of Ms. Dyngus Day is available all day for photo ops to all the Ms Dyngus hopefuls. As I said, I did not not hang around long enough to see the crowning of Ms. Dyngus Day 2024. But, there were plenty of past winners in attendance at the event. They were all sporting the sash of their year of triumph and partying hard in true Dyngus fashion.
Final Thoughts
Let me just offer up two final photos of unknown significance to the event…
In the first photo, my intention was to use the picture to add a romantic note to Carol within my post. However, I looked up “babcia” and it means grandmother. So, that probably does not work for Carol. In the second photo, its just a marionette show with really creepy puppets…no point.
So, that’s my inaugural Dyngus Day celebration. Its too late for you to celebrate Dyngus Day in 2024. But, now that you have a better understanding of the cultural background and customs, I hope you will consider recognizing Dyngus Day in the future. Basically, if you think a Polish block party with lots of beer and food is a good thing…then Dyngus Day is for you. Have a Happy Dyngus Day. PT
I hope you have enjoyed reading “Happy Dyngus Day” in Traveling with PugsleyTonks.
Here was another cultural celebration that I really enjoyed https://travelingwithpt.com/roadkill-cook-off-2023/
If you want to try for Cleveland Dyngus Day 2025, start here… https://clevelanddyngus.com/
