Easter Monday

Along with being my birthday, today is one of the greatest days of the year: Husveti Hetfo (Easter Monday)! In Hungary, a tradition known as "Easter Sprinkling" (husveti locsokoldas) is carried out on this day:

"A couple of decades ago men poured water on women in rural areas and women
changed their clothes after each sprinkling. Boys often dragged girls to the
well and poured water on them with a pail. Sometimes they washed them in
creek. The possible reason for this very old tradition is that people believed
in the cleaning, healing and fertility effect of water. Easter is a 2-day
holiday in Hungary. On Monday boys and men visit all of their women relatives,
friends, neighbors, often even if they are not close friends. Boys in small
groups, fathers with their sons, or single men leave early in the morning and
their "tours" last all day long. They greet girls and women with poems (mostly
with a funny poem about "Eastern sprinkling") and sprinkle them with cologne.
Women must be well-prepared, they treat men with dessert and beverages - and
with hand-painted eggs. Women usually prepare in the previous days by leaning up
the house thoroughly, decorating, cooking and painting a couple dozen eggs.There
is a competition among young girls - who gets the most
"sprinklers" wins."

from http://www.hungarotips.com/customs/locsol.html

I love the Easter traditions in Hungary and it always makes me home sick this time of year when I can't talk anybody into writing me a poem or spritzing me with cologne. Yes, some boys in Hungary (including our elders) were obnoxious throwing water or even bubble bath soap on us, but if you've had an old gentleman in a suit kindly ask your permission and give you a spray of cologne on your head...you'd know how sweet the tradition is. So, Happy Easter Monday! Hope you get watered!