All Saints Day

By Annella Kochanowski

Tradition is very important in my family as it is in the Polish culture.  However, one tradition I was completely unaware of coming to Poland was the significance of the first of November, All Saints Day.  Wszystkich Świętych in Polish, this holiday has Pagan roots but has evolved into a very Catholic tradition.  Poland adopted Christianity in 966 after Mieszko I, the first historic ruler of Poland, married the Bohemian princess Dobrawa and was baptized.  This leads one to the conclusion that, like many other Polish traditions, All Saints Day has been celebrated for centuries.
   
I will never forget Visiting Rakowicki Cemetery on this special holiday; it was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.  The brisk November air, fallen leaves in all their autumnal glory and flocks of people making their way through the maze of tombstones (some so ancient the inscriptions are impossible to make out) all added to the already sedate and somber atmosphere.  Back home, the only time people congregate in a graveyard is for a funeral and, even then, the majority of the place is empty.  I was amazed at how many people came to pay their respects and remember loved ones passed on All Saints Day.  Once night fell it was all the more spectacular seeing every tombstone covered in candles and adorned with flowers.  The cemetery looked as if on fire there were so many candles lit (there were literally thousands of them).
   
Halloween, I learned, is not observed here, but children can still get their candy fix.  A variety of booths are set up outside the cemetery where vendors sell an assortment of candles, flowers, food and an enticing array of different candies.  In my opinion the best part of All Saints Day is seeing families get together to carry on this tradition and remember their loved ones.