What do pussy willows, Tyskie beer and squirt guns have in common? They are three common denominators to the Dyngus Day celebration in the official Dyngus capital of America – Buffalo, New York.
Dyngus Day is an American-Polish tradition based in symbolism. It takes place the day after Easter and celebrates the end of the restrictive Lenten season and the beginning of spring. Dyngus Day is celebrated across America, but nowhere like in Buffalo, NY with its high population of Polish Americans ready to kick it up. As a popular polka song says, “Everyone is Polish on Dyngus Day.” That sentiment will resonate at any of the many celebrations that will take place at various venues in Western New York on April 25th this year. Be they Irish, Italian, German or whatever, all will be dancing at least one polka, drinking Polish beer and vodka and probably saying Dziekuja (Polish for “thank you”) before it’s all over.
But what exactly is this thing called Dyngus? Such a funny little word, with a “y” thrown in for fun, or confusion. The word can be traced back to the medieval “dingnus”, which means worthy, proper or suitable. Hardly the words that come to mind when describing an event which fosters the liberal use of squirt guns and the copious slapping of pussy willows.
Dyngus can be traced back to pagan times. According to the Polish American Journal, “the pagan Poles bickered with nature – dingen – by means of pouring water and switching with willows to make themselves pure and worthy for the coming year.” Dyngus rituals date back to Easter Monday 966 A.D. with the baptism of the Polish prince Mieszko I. The significance of this baptism was that it meant that all of Poland was, from that point on, Christian. American Polonia now celebrates, through music and ritual, the beginning of Roman Catholicism in Poland on Dyngus Day, the day after Easter.
Back in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, Dyngus Day was a huge celebration in Buffalo led by Chopin’s Singing Society on Broadway. Other venues participated back then, including the Warsaw Inn, the Broadway Grill and the New York Central Terminal, all on Buffalo’s East Side which was mostly occupied by first and second generation Polish immigrants. In the 80’s polka music became unpopular and Chopin’s moved to Depew. Sadly, when Chopin’s left Broadway the grand Dyngus parties left Buffalo too.
At the beginning of the new millennium however, Buffalo native Marty Biniasz started bugging his good friend Eddy Dobosiewicz, also known as “Airborne Eddy” to many Western New Yorkers, to bring Dyngus Day back to Buffalo. Marty’s persistence paid off, and in 2005 the pair launched a website, DyngusDayBuffalo.com. They attempted no marketing other than the site, and to their surprise people found them and came to their event. They knew immediately that this event had potential.
A lot can change in six years and it truly has for Binasz and Dobosiewicz. In 2008 Polish brands Tyskie Beer and Sobieski Vodka were available in the U.S. and became proud sponsors of Dyngus Day Buffalo. This gave the duo tens of thousands of dollars to spend on marketing and allowed them to do things they could never have done on their own. They knew who their target was. According to Dobosiewicz there is a strong Polish community in Buffalo. “There are lots of young people who want to connect with their heritage that they don’t really remember.” That is who they wanted to attract to their event, the 21-40 year old group of adults who were beginning to exhibit Polish pride. Dobosiewicz notes that for some time, people had been embarrassed about their Polish ancestry, but he noticed the trend of younger Poles asking their families about their heritage.
Today’s Dyngus Day Buffalo is a huge event that includes dozens of venues throughout the city and surrounding suburbs of Buffalo. You can go to the official website www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com for a full listing of the schedule. But the day’s unofficial kickoff takes place at the Knights of Columbus on Union Road in Cheektowaga where the 18-time Grammy winning Jimmy Sturr Polka Band will perform. Now, to those of you who are not up on your polka bands, Jimmy Sturr, as Dobosiewicz phrases it is the “Grateful Dead of polka,” with followers from around the country. His 3-hour show starts at 1:00 pm with doors opening at 11 am. But there are plenty of other ways to begin the day, including an 11:30 mass at Chorpus Christi, an awe-inspiring church in historic Polonia on Buffalo’s East Side.
No matter where you begin Dyngus Day, you can visit any of the venues via a shuttle system. There are three loops involved and include the outer suburban loop, the historic Polonia loop and the Black Rock loop. All shuttle information is available on the website with information on all the participating venues and events at your disposal at each loop. All of this is made very easy for you through the purchase of a $10 “Pussy Willow Pass” available at any of the venues or at participating Wegmans stores. For $10.00 you receive a bracelet to gain access to the shuttles as well as reduced admission to all venues.
And the venues offer something for everyone. Polka bands will not be hard to find. The world’s first Dyngus Day parade was held in Buffalo and will continue its tradition this year at 5:00 beginning at Corpus Christi Church. The entire day is truly fun for all ages and you can customize your day easily with the online schedule and the shuttle system.
Ray Jones is a 34 year old mechanical engineer and professional motorcycle racer who has been to Buffalo Dyngus Day for the past five years. Jones moved here from Schenectedy, NY to attend college at UB. His mother is 100 percent Polish but he never had any real connection to his Polish roots except for some great cooking by his mom. Like many, Jones had never heard of Dyngus Day until he moved here. His first Dyngus experience opened his eyes to the Polish community in Western New York. Jones describes the
experience as, “St. Patrick’s Day for Polish people. But it’s not just drinking, there is all this great food, music, dancing…it’s an atmosphere of friendliness with lots of group participation and everyone having a great time.”
Dobosiewicz likes to think of today’s Dyngus Day as “a sort of a reverse Mardi Gras, with some quirky rituals.” Instead of “pigging out” before the Lenten season begins, Dyngus allows you to “let loose” afterward and welcome the beginning of Spring. And speaking of letting loose, what about those squirt guns and pussy willows? Pussy willows are a-plenty at every venue on Dyngus Day and yes, there are squirt guns employed as well; however, many venues are “squirt free,” perhaps in order to avoid an impromptu wet t-shirt party.
If you find yourself at the end of the night at the Central Terminal, the Polish Villa or any of the venues having had a bit too much to drink, there will be pre-paid taxi vouchers available to get you home safely. Which gives you reason to think ahead and perhaps consider taking the day after the day after Easter off from work. Because as the saying goes, “Everyone’s Polish on Dyngus Day!”
You can find all the details about Dyngus Day 2011 at www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com. If you are interested in learning more about Buffalo’s rich Polish heritage, Dobosiewicz offers tours of Buffalo with an emphasis on Polonia and the city’s East Side. As he puts it, “Buffalo’s East Side is poised for reinvention with its amazing churches, the Broadway Market, New York Central Terminal and solid housing stock of warfare immigrant cottages.”
More information is available at www.forgottenbuffalo.com.
Photos: www.DyngusDayBuffalo.com