Head to Buffalo or Cleveland for a raucous, feel-good Dyngus Day.
There are many unlike shipway to hail the comer of spring . Some people clean their houses . Others might hunt for hot chocolate egg in their backyard . And then there ’s the option to corrode pierogi , dance the polka , and possibly spank someone with a pussy willow branch . Who ’s to say which tradition is the better alternative ?
A pre - Christian holiday that now traditionally takes place on the Monday after Easter , Śmigus - dyngus is aPolishholiday that show in the novel season . It ’s celebrated other than from community to residential district , and in much of Poland it ’s scarcely celebrated at all . That say , it typically — and questionably — involve boys squirting H2O on girls and spank them with twat willow tree branches ( though in late decades , girlfriend have been encouraged to give those spanking and soakings right back to the boys ) . The holiday can sometimes require additional ritual , including elaborate sideboard , threshold - to - room access processions of mankind and boys dressed in detailed costumes , exchanging elaborately painted ballock , and even the drowning of a straw simulacrum .
Despite its Polish source , Śmigus - dyngus is becoming more and more popular in the US , where it ’s been dubbed “ Dyngus Day . ” Though there are modest celebrations in Polish - American enclave all over the province , the two biggest festival are in Buffalo and Cleveland , where tenner of thousands of people gather each twelvemonth to eat , salute , and dance the polka .
Dyngus Day Buffalo
InBuffalo , a city that has proclaim itself “ Dyngus Day capital of the world,”events take placeall over the city ’s Historic Polonia District . Once reportedly home to the secondly largest Polish universe outside Warsaw , Buffalo first celebrated Dyngus Day in the ‘ sixty , initially as a fundraiser for a local Polish region club . Over the years , though , as more and more people leave the city ’s Polish district , involvement in the holiday begin to decline — as did the looking at of the neighborhood .
That ’s where Dyngus Day Buffalo promoter Eddy Dobosiewicz comes in . Almost 20 years ago , in response to the neighborhood ’s deterioration , he decided to make for back the jubilation . “ I desire to shine some light on that particular area , because I need to block the destruction and the decomposition in the hope of resurrect it in some capability , ” he excuse . At the very least , he hop to highlight the signification of the area .
He started with a parade , reaching out to a local church hall , some private social clubs , and a few family - owned taverns that already entertain observances of the case to take part , bring the whole affair under the Dyngus Day umbrella and branding it as a larger fete . With the fest ’s far-out tradition , it start to get reporting on local news and in the papers and more and more hoi polloi started come . The result has grown each year ever since , and now draws between 50 and 100,000 people annually , calculate on the atmospheric condition .
Pussy willow branches are an important part of Dyngus Day.|Dyngus Day Buffalo
Speaking of that weather , Dobosiewicz says he cerebrate Dyngus Day has accept off in town in part because ofwhen it falls on the calendar . “ It ’s a time between the seasons when it ’s not cold enough to do winter natural action and it ’s not warm enough to do summer activities , ” he explains . “ Nothing else is break on . It ’s limbo time . ”
Buffalo ’s Dyngus Day culminates ina grand paradethrough the metropolis , with most floats and organizations romp the bright red ink and snowy of the Polish flag . The fest ’s website the parade is a celebration of “ camaraderie and joy mixed with nostalgia and Leslie Townes Hope , ” hailing Dyngus Day ’s outgrowth from just a little get - together of neighbour to this massive effect that the whole city comes together to celebrate .
Dobosiewicz enounce his biggest hope is that Dyngus Day helps expose unseasoned Buffalonians to Polish acculturation and account — and in particular the account mightily in their own backyard . “ Polish multitude in Buffalo have been here for propagation , and it ’s the biggest heathenish filiation group in the arena , ” he say . “ Still , youthful multitude have been so distanced from it that they do n’t know all the traditions and customs . When we first pop out , people were blockade by their Polish line and they would abnegate it , in part because of the Polish laugh that were so prevalent . Now I think there ’s a turnabout of that percept , entail we ’ve done our job and we ’ve had some fun while we ’re doing it . ”
It’s traditional to spray people with water.|Dyngus Day Buffalo
Go a little far west along Lake Erie ’s shores and you ’ll findCleveland ’s Dyngus Day , which was started by a local personality and business enterprise owner name Justin Gorski and his wife Laura . He ’d long DJed polka 45s at a bar called theHappy Dog , strap on a fake whiskers , a hat , and sometimes even jokingly pitching pierogi into the audience . Additionally , the two had attended a phone number of Dyngus Days in Buffalo and like them , and so about 12 years ago , the pair decided to launch their own version inCleveland ’s Gordon Square neck of the woods .
“ Justin basically put on his accordion and went bar - hopping , ” sound out Adam Roggenburk , whose company Heritage Productions now avail put on the case . “ It start off the first class with a mates hundred people and then it grew year after year after yr . In 2019 , it was 72 and sunny and we had probably 50,000 people , but then COVID hit . Now , we ’re building it back up . ”
“ I think Cleveland ’s Dyngus Day is different from others because we demand so many local people , ” Roggenburk says . “ All the unlike food people , the beer vendors , the bakeries , they ’re all local . We have a exceptional beer that ’s made by a local brewery . We ’re really trying to tie in the culture of Cleveland with our food and our amusement . It ’s all local , with citizenry everyone here in Northeast Ohio get it on . ”
Buffalo’s event draws between 50 and 100,000 people annually, depending on the weather.|Dyngus Day Buffalo
Cleveland ’s Dyngus Day does n’t have a parade this year , but they do have anamateur piano accordion competition , a pierogi wipe out contest , anda Miss Dyngus Day pageantry , the contestants for which are pulled from the crowd pretty much at random . ( For those who want to juice their chances in terms of getting asked , there ’s aquestionnaireyou can satiate out online in progression . It ’s full of questions like , “ Tell us about your pierogi making skills , ” and “ What does your preferent babushka look like ? ” )
Cleveland ’s Dyngus Day shares a common goal with the event in Buffalo , aiming to lift up its palisade neck of the woods . “ We have our two Dyngus Day headquarters microscope stage , but we really use Dyngus Day to promote the economy throughout all of Northeast Ohio , ” Roggenburk explains . “ Venues can use the festival ’s name and we can promote it so we might have 10 to 15 solid food vender at the actual street party , but we ’re also promoting the 50 to 100 other restaurants and bars that participate throughout the whole region . ”
Perhaps uplifting the community is the real Dyngus Day tradition , after all .
“Justin basically put on his accordion and went bar-hopping,” says Adam Roggenburk.|DJ KISHKA
Cleveland has a Miss Dyngus Day pageant, for which the contestants are pulled from the crowd pretty much at random.|Dyngus Day Cleveland
