Every Easter Monday, Poles engage in what must be one of the world’s largest water fights. The tradition started over a thousand years ago in pagan times before incorporating Christian elements in the medieval era.
Traditionally, boys would throw water over girls as well as spank them with pussy willows in a tradition which probably originated in order to honor the Slavic goddesses of fertility. In recent times, it has become more of a nation-wide free-for-all waterfight. The tradition also lives on within the Polish-American community. A couple of years ago, the CNN anchor Anderson Cooper found out about the details of how Polish-Americans in Buffalo celebrate Dyngus Day. Let’s just say that he was overwelmed with emotions…