Dyngus Day or Wet Monday (Polish Śmigus-dyngus, lany poniedziałek or Oblewania) is the name for Easter Monday in Poland. In the Czech Republic it is called Velikonocni Pondeli or Pomlázka. Polish (polski, język polski) is the official language of Poland. ... Easter Monday is a Christian holiday celebrated the next day after Easter Sunday. ... The Republic of Poland, a democratic country with a population of 38,626,349 and area of 312,685 km², is located in Central Europe, between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and... National motto: Truth prevails (Czech: Pravda vítězí) Official language Czech Capital Praha (Prague) President Václav Klaus Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 114th 78,866 km² 2% Population  - Total (2003)  - Density Ranked 76th 10. ...

Both countries practice a peculiar custom on this day. Traditionally, boys will awaken girls early in the morning and douse them with water and strike them about the legs with long thin twigs made from willow, birch or decorated tree branches (palmy wielkanocne). This practice is possibly connected to a pre-Christian, pagan fertility rite, although the earliest documented records of Dyngus Day in Poland are from 15th century, almost half a millenium after Poland adopted Christianity. Species About 350, including: Salix alba - White Willow Salix amygdaloides - Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula - Mountain Willow Salix aurita - Eared Willow Salix babylonica - Peking Willow Salix caprea- Goat Willow Salix caroliniana - Coastal Plain Willow Salix cinerea - Grey Sallow Salix fragilis - Crack Willow Salix herbacea - Dwarf Willow Salix lanata - Woolly Willow Salix... Species many species see text and classification Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula, in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. ... This article is about the religious people known as Christians. ... Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism. ... Fertility rites are religious rituals that reenact, either actually or symbolically, sexual acts and/or reproductive processes. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

Early in the Polish evolution of the tradition, the Dyngus custom was cleary differentiated from Śmigus. Dyngus was the exchange of gifts (usually eggs, often decorated like pisankas), under the threat of water splashing if one party did not have any eggs ready, while Śmigus (from Śmigać, to whoosh, ie make a whipping noise) referred to the striking. Pisanka (plural: Pisankas, Pisanki) is an ancient Slavic art of egg decorating. ...

Later the focus became the courting aspect of the ritual, and young unmarried girls were the only acceptable targets. A boy would sneak into the bedroom of the particular girl he fancied and awaken her by completely drenching her with multiple buckets of water. Politics played an important role in proceedings, and often the boy would get access to the house only by arrangement with the girl's mother.

Throughout the day girls would find themselves the victims of drenchings and leg-whippings, and a daughter who wasn't targeted for such activites was generally considered to be beznadziejna (hopeless) in this very coupling-oriented environment.

Most recently, the tradition has changed to become entirely water-focused, and the Śmigus part is almost forgotten. It is quite common for girls to attack boys just as fiercely as the boys traditionally attacked the girls. With much of Poland's population residing in tall apartment buildings, high balconies are favourite hiding places for young people who gleefully empty entire buckets of water onto randomly selected passers-by.

For Ducking Monday in Hungary, perfume or perfumed-water is used. The girls would reward the boys who sprinkle with coins or Easter eggs. For the book Perfume by Patrick Süskind, see Perfume (book). ... For the hidden and often humorous features included in computer programs, DVDs, books, CDs, etc. ...

In the Czech Republic, instead of splashing water, a special handmade whip called pomlázka is used on females in the morning. In the afternoon, females douse males with cold water. A whip is a cord or strap, usually with a stiff handle, used for delivering blows to human beings or animals as a means of control or punishment or torture. ...

External Link

• Poland's Dyngus Day, and other Easter Monday customs By Pip Wilson (http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/eastmond.html)