Traditional Hungarian Easter poems for watering in English
Easter is celebrated in Christian communities all over the world, but many countries have their own set of traditions. In modern days, these traditions are slowly fading into oblivion and capitalistic products are taking over to satisfy demand. Today we are taking a look at the Hungarian practice of ‘locsolkodás’.
During Easter, young girls are splashed with a bucket of water, and it is probably the most well-known Hungarian Easter tradition. This is a symbolical tradition and a fertility ritual of sorts. You can read more about the origin of Hungarian Easter traditions in THIS article.
It has become so well-embedded in Hungarian culture and tradition, and it has become so important for Hungarians that it is one of the Hungarikums.
Of course, not every girl is quite fond of this tradition, and in some places, it is not quite common to go around with a bucket full of water attacking every young girl you come across. If you would like to celebrate Easter according to authentic Hungarian traditions, I will not hold you back, but if you do not want to sleep on the couch, maybe there is something else you could do.
Instead of a bucket of water, maybe grab a perfume she likes and squirt a little of that on her neck, but wait, there is something else that you should do first.
The other important part of the Hungarian tradition of locsolkodás is reciting a poem. Usually, it is either a romantic or funny Easter poem written solely for this tradition. You can also use any poem your crush or significant other would love, but here are some Hungarian locsolóversek (watering poems) translated to English that you can use.
The first one is probably the most common, and also, because it is easy, there are many funny variations in Hungarian. It is a simple and polite question as well, so if the answer is yes, go ahead and water or spray perfume on her.
“Zöld erdőben jártam,
Kék ibolyát láttam,
El akart hervadni,
Szabad-e locsolni?”
“I went to a green forest,
And saw a blue-violet,
It wanted to wither,
Am I allowed to water?”
“Húsvét másodnapján, tudom, ti is, lányok,
Számomra egy pár piros tojást szántok;
Mert ha úgy lészen, rózsavizem készen,
S megöntözlek szépen.”
“On the second day of Easter, I know,
To me, you girls a pair of red eggs bestow;
And if it is true, my rose water is ready,
And I will water you carefully.”
“Itt a Húsvét, eljött végre,
a szép lányok örömére,
mert a lányok szép virágok,
Illatos víz illik rájok.
Kit húsvétkor nem locsolnak,
hervadt virág lesz már holnap.
Ne fuss el hát szép virágom,
a locsolásért tojást várok!”
“Easter has come, it is finally here,
to the delight of lovely young women
As women are beautiful flowers,
What they need is fragrant water.
Who is not watered at Easter,
By tomorrow they’ll already wither.
So don’t run away, my beautiful flower,
I’m waiting for eggs in exchange for water!”
“Húsvét napja csupa öröm,
A sok kislányt megöntözöm.
Hideg kútvíz szoknyájukra,
Piros tojás a markunkba!”
“Full of joy the day of Easter,
On many girls, water I sprinkle.
Cold well-water on their skirts,
Give us those red eggs first!”
“Öntözzük, öntözzük,
Hadd legyen frissecske!
Így lesz a leányból
Szép, piros menyecske!”
“Let’s water, let’s water,
So she’ll be fresh!
That’s how a girl becomes
Beautiful, lovely spouse!”
And finally a little naughty one just for the fun of it:
“Van nekem egy kis locsolóm,
Kölni nincsen benne,
Ha én azt most elővenném,
Nagy röhögés lenne.”
“I too have a sprinkler
But there is no perfume in it
If I were to take it out
Everyone would laugh out loud.”
The poems are from Citatum, and there are plenty more little Hungarian poems there. As far as the Easter eggs go, which are given as a gift for watering, we have recently published an article on traditional Hungarian methods to decorate Easter eggs. We recommend checking it out, and we hope that if you try them, you will get to like Hungarian Easter traditions.
Happy Easter from Daily News Hungary!??
Read alsoTraditional Hungarian methods to decorate Easter eggs – PHOTOS, VIDEOS
Source: Citatum.hu, Daily News Hungary