Hagyomány

Hadh♦oh♦ma♦neey

Tradition

Also titled: “Why I came home from preschool smelling like cheap perfume”

The last time I brought you to the circle rug of my preschool classroom, boys were giving girls flowers for International Women’s Day. I guess we all get a little more generous during circle time, because today, the gifts just kept on coming.Even though I’m supposed to be teaching at my job, I spent my morning learning about a Hungarian Easter tradition in which boys recite a poem to a girl and then dump a bucket of water on her. If there’re no buckets available, a gentle spritz is also acceptable–and it can even be cologne or perfume. After everyone is thoroughly dampened, the offending dumpers are given a treat. (Pro tip: if you want to be the most spritz-worthy, bring the basket full of KinderSurprise eggs. Luca was a queen today.)The level of cuteness was formidable, but after the sixth exchange or so I was gasping for air. But I guess a little perfume never hurt anybody. The rest of the day I was a walking human scratch and sniff, but hey, it’s a small price to pay for cultural immersion.