All Saints’ Day // Wszystkich Świętych

I’m not a Halloween-celebrating American. When I was a kid we weren’t allowed to celebrate Halloween so I don’t have those happy associations with trick-or-treating or dressing up. It’s just not something I miss about the States (unlike July 4th and Thanksgiving – those are sad days for me here), but Poles celebrate it more and more each year. There is the occasional costume party but still kids don’t really trick-or-treat much and people just don’t go all out like they do in the States.

In Poland people rather celebrate All Saints’ Day, which is a little like Mexico’s Day of the Dead but without the refreshments. Taking place in deep autumn, it’s a sight to see. Honestly, ASD is one of my favorite holidays here in Poland aside from the fact that it’s a somber day for most others. It’s a nice opportunity to observe and enjoy a holiday that is entirely new for me.

Overall, cemeteries in Poland are completely different than in the States. Considering the fact that Americans don’t go to cemeteries much at all, they’re usually pretty bare. No people, not many flowers unless there was a recent funeral, no candles. In Poland? You can find dozens of people wandering through cemeteries on any given day, taking flowers and even lighting candles. There are people selling flowers next to the cemeteries year-round and families actually take care of the tombstones. It’s quite lovely that Poles take the opportunity to honor those people at least once a year.

We live near an old, newly-renovated Jewish cemetery, which is only open on this day each year, so we always take that chance to have a walk there. Here the graves are less tended to, but in Catholic cemeteries, nearly every grave is covered in flowers and lanterns of all different colors lit by candles. During the day it’s nice, at night it’s truly magical.

I’m curious how Poles view All Saint’s Day? Do you all enjoy it or is it something you dread each year?