Dyngus Day Hijinks in Jeopardy

Robin Moroney of the Wall Street Journal reports that a Buffalo, N.Y. Easter tradition is in jeopardy. Easter Monday is Dyngus Day in the Polish-American tradition. Celebrated on the Monday after Easter it marks the end of the observance of lent and the joy of Easter. As they say in Buffalo "Everybody's Polish On Dyngus Day!"

The Dyngus Day is observed by boys splashing girls with water and flirtatiously swatting them with twigs of the pussy-willow's fuzzy buds.

Easter is celebrated on the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the spring equinox. Dyngus Day 2008 will take place on March 24th, the earliest celebration in 95 years. The next time Dyngus Day and Easter occur this early will be 220 years from now.

Because of the early arrival of Easter this year, Buffalo is experiencing a pussy-willow shortage. The local pussy-willows are still bare and if things don't improve by March 24, florists may not be able to meet Dyngus Day demand. Eddie Dobosiewicz, a co-founder of DyngusDayBuffalo.com, moans that being swatted by branches other than budding pussy willows on the day. "would be like Groundhog Day without the groundhog," ... "like replacing the groundhog with a monkey."