Fifteen years in a childhood paradise

we would not have wanted to miss it for anything in the world. But we were also terribly scared of the riders and of the chimney sweeps.

As usual, I got caught again by one of the riders, but he didn't hit me very hard, and when a chimney sweep grabbed me by the arm, and put soot all over my face, it didn't matter. I felt I was just one of them, and having great fun like the rest of them.

When they came near our house, Vater gave them money which later, I am sure, was converted into liquid food at the pub.

This custom was also traditional in Strykowo and other villages around in our area.

"Vater," I asked him afterwards, "what about other parts in Poland, do they have this custom there too?"

"I don't know. And I also don't know the origin of it, and what the meaning of it is. It may go way back to ancient times and have something to do with forgotten myths. The same applies to the other custom peculiar to our area, namely the wetting of people with water at Easter. As you know, Easter Sunday is reserved for boys wetting girls, and Easter Monday is for girls wetting boys."

"Oh yeah, I got some water from a bucket today," said Günter. "I didn't watch out. I was running away from the kominiarz, the chimney sweep when, whoosh, a bucket of water came from around the corner of a house. I quickly jumped aside, but I still got some on me."

"Did you wet a girl yesterday, my boy?" "Yes I did, it was Jadszia, and it was she who poured the bucket over me, or tried to, today."

"Well, that's what happens. If you wet a girl, you can be sure she will try everything to get you on Easter Mondays."

"But I only used a water bomb made from paper." "That doesn't matter, you still wet her."

"And where did that custom come from?" "It could be that it goes back to the time when people were baptised only at Easter. There may have been some children in the village, who had not been baptised yet, and people took it out on them. But I really don't know. This is only a guess."

Our easter holidays were soon over, and we had to go back to Posen. Another custom in spring-time was to contract with another person to always have some fresh green in your pocket or on your person. I played it often with Irene Lucht, who then had become Vater's secretary in the office. It went throughout the month of May, the month when fresh leaves come out on every tree and grass was growing vigorously. It was called: Bitte Grün, which translates: 'please show me green'. Either of us could challenge the other to show some fresh green leaves on us. Whoever failed to show a fresh green leaf, or had only an old shrivelled up leaf from yesterday, had to pay a fine. Pine needles were not allowed in this game. At the end of the week the points were added up and the looser had to buy

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