Skip to content
Śmigus-Dyngus
EntityQ5637323· pop 17· linked from 393 articles

Śmigus-Dyngus

Sign in to save

Also known as lany poniedziałek, Dyngus Day

Śmigus-dyngus () or lany poniedziałek () is a celebration held on Easter Monday across Central Europe, and in small parts of Eastern and Southern Europe. The Eastertide tradition is widely associated with Poland in English-speaking countries and is observed by Polish diaspora communities, particularly among Polish Americans who call it Dyngus Day. Customs surrounding Śmigus-dyngus celebrate the arrival of Christianity in Poland. A similar tradition also exists among Hungarians, the Easter sprinkling called (sprinkling) and in Slovakia, called oblievačka (the pouring).

Key facts

Holiday.holiday_name
Śmigus-dyngus
Holiday.image
File:Dyngus postcard.jpg
Holiday.caption
A postcard showing youth dousing each other with water on Śmigus-dyngus
Holiday.nickname
Dyngus Day
Holiday.type
Christian, cultural
Holiday.observedby
Poles, Hungarians, Slovaks
Holiday.frequency
annual
Holiday.duration
1 day
Holiday.observances
Service of Worship / Mass, the throwing of water on one another, family meals and visitation
Holiday.significance
Commemorates the Baptism of Poland and the arrival of Easter Monday
Holiday.relatedto
Eastertide

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Easter card ukr leg crop.jpg
Show 3 more facts
applies to jurisdiction
Hungary
Commons category
Śmigus-dyngus (Wet Monday)

via Wikidata · CC0

~18 min read

Encyclopedic overview

16 sections
Contents
  • Origins and etymology
  • Poland
  • Hungary
  • Slovakia
  • Ukraine
  • United States
  • Buffalo, New York
  • Cleveland, Ohio
  • Macedon, New York
  • South Bend, Indiana
  • Pasadena, California
  • Pine Creek, Wisconsin
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • External links

Śmigus-dyngus () or lany poniedziałek () is a celebration held on Easter Monday across Central Europe, and in small parts of Eastern and Southern Europe. The Eastertide tradition is widely associated with Poland in English-speaking countries and is observed by Polish diaspora communities, particularly among Polish Americans who call it Dyngus Day. Customs surrounding Śmigus-dyngus celebrate the arrival of Christianity in Poland. A similar tradition also exists among Hungarians, the Easter sprinkling called (sprinkling) and in Slovakia, called oblievačka (the pouring).

On Śmigus-dyngus, Polish families traditionally visit or call relatives, gifting them Paschal eggs. Mass is well attended by Christians on Śmigus-dyngus. Traditionally, boys throw water over girls on Easter Monday. This is symbolic of the "cleansing of one from sins and marking the end of Lent with a day of feasting and merrymaking". The custom may derive from a commemoration of the Baptism of Poland, when the Polish people became Christians and received baptism en masse. Additionally, certain scholars trace the custom to Jerusalem, in which water was used to disperse crowds who were gathering to discuss the resurrection of Jesus.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Śmigus-Dyngus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (6)