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Dyngus Day is a Polish American holiday that falls on Easter Monday. Cleveland is among the handful ... More of U.S. cities featuring parades and other happenings.
Cody York for
It’s common to think of pre-Lenten festivities such as Mardi Gras and Carnival but Polish Americans mark the end of Lent with community fun right after Easter Sunday.
This public celebration known as Dyngus Day, which is also known by the name, Śmigus-dyngus, falls on Easter Monday. For 2025, its calendar date is April 21.
This Polish American tradition not only involves people affectionately spraying others, as an act of cleansing or purification, but the day involves another interesting practice. It involves the tapping of people with pussy willow branches, reflecting a practice traditionally used in Poland that uses this plant in place of palms on Palm Sunday.
Unique customs aside, parades and public parties bring out both those of Polish and non-Polish heritage to celebrate.
In Buffalo, Dyngus Day is a major celebration of the city's Polish history and community.
Visit Buffalo Niagara
Where is Dyngus Day celebrated in the U.S.?
Dyngus Day in the United States occurs across various parts of the United States. Here are some of them.
Touted as “Dyngus Day Capital of the World,” Buffalo’s Polish history dates back to the 1860s and originated from this Western New York city quickly growing amid industrialization.
Recruiters were in Poland looking for workers to fill roles in the community and, from there, several areas sprung up in Buffalo that were almost exclusively Polish – like the East Side, where most Dyngus Day Celebrations happen today,” explained Andy Golebiowski, host of the Polish American Radio Program in Buffalo.
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