Hilarious Hungarian Easter rhymes translated into English
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One of the weirdest but most fun (well, at least for the chaps) Hungarian Easter traditions is locsolkodás, which can be loosely translated as ‘sprinkling the womenfolk’. At this time of the year, the young lads of the village, armed with their grandmas’ stenchiest patchouli perfumes, or in the less fortunate case a bucket of ice-cold water, go from door to door to sprinkle the girls and their female relatives. Of course, there is some foreplay prior to the act, as usually, they say a little poem, a so-called sprinkling rhyme. In return, they receive traditionally painted eggs, candies, a couple of coins and often a shot of pálinka too. More often than not, they are pretty hammered by the time they reach the last house of the village. There are various types of sprinkling rhymes, from cute and funny to raunchy and politically incorrect. In this post, we thought to gather a couple of them with English translation so you can get a little sense of Hungarian humour and creativity. Enjoy!
- Zöld erdőben jártam,
Meggy pálinkát láttam.
Ha nem kapok belőle,
Nem locsolok jövőre.
I went to the green forest,
I saw a bottle of sour cherry pálinka.
If I don’t get a sip today,
I won’t sprinkle you next year.
2. Zöld erdőben jártam,
Fehér nyuszit láttam.
Egy nagyot kacsintott,
Add ide a forintot!
I went to the green forest,
There was a white bunny.
It gave me a wink.
Now, gimme the money!
3. Én verset nem tudok,
Azt mondják a kicsik.
Én csak azért jöttem,
Hogy igyak egy kicsit.
I don’t know any rhymes,
That’s the children’s dues.
I only popped by
To get some free booze.
4. Húsvét van odakinnt,
Mosolyog az ég is.
Adjanak egy ezrest,
Mosolygok majd én is.
It’s Easter Day,
The sky is beaming.
Gimme some cash,
That’s all I’m meaning.