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Just Imagine ... … you are a member of a Polish peasant family, some thousand years ago. Somebody just died. Honoring your beliefs in ghosts and spirits, you open all windows and doors, so the newly freed soul will not be trapped in the house. Mirrors are turned to the wall, so they will not capture the ghost. The wake lasts until the body is buried, and the soul of the dead is finally safe from evil spirits. A few hundred years later, the pagan customs have been replaced with Christian rites. Candles are lit rather than the doors and windows opened. The burning candles symbolize the eternal light for which the newly freed soul yearns. Today, the All Saints’ Day (Dzień Wszystkich Świętych) falls on November 1st and is a major, very solemn celebration in Poland. Practically everybody makes a pilgrimage to a cemetery, or a few cemeteries, where their passed beloved rest. They adorn the graves with autumn flowers, such as asters and chrysanthemums, and light votive lights. Virtually thousands of candle lights flicker through the cemetery trees, and especially in the evening, a very special mood is set to pray for the souls that passed away. While my daughter will be having fun on Halloween on October 31, on November 1, I will be remembering those who are no longer on this earth. Wojciech
Grochowski
(based on Polish Customs: www.newpoland.com) |
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