Dyngus Day?
Happy Dyngus Day! . . . whatever that means.
Before I moved to Buffalo, I had never heard of anything called Dyngus Day. It quickly became obvious that this was a day filled with tradition that really made no sense. Baffled, I decided to study the creatures in their natural habitat.
For some odd reason, on Dyngus Day (a.k.a. Easter Monday or the day after Easter Sunday), people decide that they are going to start hitting others with pussywillows and spraying them with water guns. Imagine my confusion watching this seemingly random activity connected with a seemingly imaginary holiday.
I thought that perhaps I had simply missed Dyngus Day previously in my original hometown. For some odd reason, however, there are two Dyngus Day centers of activity in the United States: Buffalo and South Bend, Indiana. From what I can see, this seems to be the sole connection between these two cities. Other Dyngus Day celebrations occur in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Bristol, Connecticut. Here's a blurb from ::wikipedia("Dyngus Day", "Wikipedia"):::
In the United States, Dyngus Day celebrations are widespread and popular in Buffalo, New York and South Bend, Indiana. In Buffalo's eastern suburbs, Dyngus Day is celebrated with a level of enthusiasm that rivals St. Patrick's Day. In South Bend, the day is often used to launch the year's political campaign – often from within a local pub, where buying drinks is favored over handshaking.
There is even a Buffalo Dyngus Day website. Go figure.
Yes, there is a reason for the Dyngus Day tradition. It's a Polish tradition. Read more about the origins at ::wikipedia("Dyngus Day", "Wikipedia")::.
Dingus means "worthy" or "suitable," but when I call someone a dingus, that's not the definition I intend.
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April 17th, 2006 at 23:02
What is it about Buffalo and weirdo holidays? Isn't there a "love day" or something like that, too?
April 19th, 2006 at 15:21
I think that you're thinking of "Sweetest Day," which is something of a "love day" owing to the great emphasis on romantic couples–e.g. your "sweetie" or the "sweetest" one in your life. I was told by my boss that it also used to be a Polish holiday, and owed its origin to the Polish orphanges in the area–somehow it used to be a children's holiday in which the kiddies used to be given candy. No idea how it devolved into its present state, but i also haven't found anybody outside of Buffalo who celebrates it…