So about that water fight at the San Jose Fantasy Faire: I wanted to share with you a bit of Polish tradition that, well, even today... due to my oh not so innocent nature I still enjoy playing with friends and family. The Easter season in Poland ends on Monday a day also known as Lany Poniedziałek (Wet Monday) or Śmigus-Dyngus, a favorite among younger people.... and those young at heart. Breaking from the solemnity of Lent, youths find ways to drench each other with water. Some believe this originated in pagan times, while others derive it from the baptism of Poland in 966. Śmigus dyngus starts at the break of dawn. Traditionally, only men doused girls with water. As the tradition stated, maidens soaked on that day would have a greater chance of getting married that year. It is essentially a marriage of two old Easter rites. Older men, behaving like gentlemen, of course, sprayed their wives with cologne water rather than with the regular one. The girls got their chances for revenge the following day. They sprayed boys with water as much as they wanted on Tuesday. Most recently, the tradition has changed to become a fully fledged water fight among... well, everyone, on one day; turnabout is fair play after all, with everybody dousing everybody else! On Smingus-Dyngus Day EVERYWONE and I do mean EVERYONE is armed with their choice of water bearing weapon, whether it be buckets of water, squirt guns, whatevers available. It is quite common for girls to attack boys just as fiercely as they attack them. With much of Polands population residing in tall apartment buildings, high balconies are favorite hiding places for young people who gleefully empty buckets of water or more recently throw plastic bags or water balloons onto random passers-by. I remember pouring buckets of water from our 5th level apartment on cars below, on boys, etc. I opened the doors to the house and well, my victims doused me back. Mom wasnt too impressed, but thats one day you just cant get mad at your kid for causing or being a wet victim of watery shenanigans. The best and most memorable moment? Walking down the street, turning a corner and walking into an older man, a stranger in his late 70s. I apologized, of course. He pulled out a water gun and squirted me at me... in return, before moving away. It may not be Easter yet, and Smingus-Dyngus may be something we Slovaks (not just Poles) like to celebrate.... but Smingus-Dyngus it is at Fantasy Faire - AFTER the faire closes... unless other arrangements may be made / make sense.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 17:17:54 +0000
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