St It's Dyngus Day: A Celebration of Polish Tradition and Culture


4/1/2024 7:00:00 AM

Dingus Day
Historically a Polish-American tradition, Dyngus Day celebrates the end of Lent and the joy of Easter. Over the decades, it has become a wonderful holiday to celebrate Polish-American culture, heritage, and traditions, especially within WNY.

Dyngus Day celebrations within Polish communities in the U.S. date back to the 1870s, and the word “Dyngus” can be traced back to an old form of “Dingus,” which can mean “proper, suitable, or worthy.”

Buffalo, NY, has become known as the Dyngus Day capitol of America, hosting the largest concentration of festival locations, polka bands, and Polish traditions nationwide. Ironically, Dyngus Day is not widely observed in Poland.

This is a yearly debate among Dyngus Day revelers. The tradition holds that on Easter Monday, boys would sprinkle the girls with water and tap them with pussywillows. On Easter Tuesday, the women would return the favor. At modern Dyngus Day parties, it is common practice for men and women to trade water and pussywillows equally. Pussy willows play a significant part in Buffalo’s Dyngus Day celebrations as men and women flirt with playful “taps.” Branches of the plant are used as the pussy willow is one of the first “budding” plants of spring.

For those that celebrate this tradition, we wish you a happy Dingus Day! If you want to know more about Buffalo Dingus Day Events, visit: Stepoutbuffalo DD