Friday, October 28, 2011

Nov 1st.

November 1st is a national holiday in Poland. Many people go to the cemeteries to light candles and, if they believe in God, to pray. This festival is also celebrated by some other denominations and even those without any denomination, as a sign of remembrance and of honouring and respecting the dead.
The festival was also a holiday during the PRL (People’s Republic of Poland—a time when the Communist Party was in power) but the authorities tried to make it a secular celebration and called it the Day of the Dead. It was a very spiritual and emotional day for all families. People travel many kilometers back to the town, village or city where their ancestors are buried to put candles and flowers on the graves.
The daytime is very pretty because of the hundreds of flowers on the graves but the night time is even more special with the lights of hundreds of lit candles reflecting everywhere. It's also a place and time for meeting relatives that may not be seen often during the year.
We travel to Golina for this day and spend it there

1 listopada jest świętem narodowym w Polska. Wiele osób go na cmentarze, aby zapalić znicze i, jeśli wierzą w Boga, modlić się. Ten festiwal jest również obchodzony przez niektórych innych wyznań, a nawet tych bez nazwy, jako znak pamięci i czci i poszanowaniu zmarłych.
Festiwal był również świętem w PRL (Chińska Republika Ludowa Polska-czasie, gdy partia komunistyczna w mocy), ale władze starał się świeckie uroczystości i nazwał go Day of the Dead. To był bardzo duchowe i emocjonalne dzień dla wszystkich rodzin. Ludzi podróżuje wiele kilometrów z powrotem do miasta, wsi lub miasta, gdzie są pochowani ich przodkowie umieścić świece i kwiaty na grobach.

W ciągu dnia jest bardzo ładna, ze względu na setki kwiaty na grobach, ale w nocy jest jeszcze bardziej wyjątkowy ze światłami setek zapalonych świec odzwierciedla wszędzie. Jest to także miejsce i czas dla bliskich spotkań, które nie mogą być postrzegane często w ciągu roku.

 Jedziemy do Goliny na ten dzień i spędzić tam

4 comments:

greenbandman said...

As an American just back from Poland, I just can't comprehend the enormous amount of money expended on gravesite paraphernalia which includes flower (plastic and real), flower pots, candle holders, candle inserts, and other stuff. Even the parish priest in Golina, where I maintain a base, has asked the parishioners to be frugal since the church is spending enormous amounts of funds to remove the garbage leftover. A pit roughly 50 feet x 10 feet x 10 feet was filled to overflowing within two months in September and October. However in Pittsburgh, PA, where I am now, I can’t even find one store selling gravesite candle holders and their inserts. Just wait till November 2, when all this has to be cleaned up.

Joan and David Piekarczyk said...

As an American living in Poland I love this tradition. I have seen too many cemeteries in the U.S. where you can't even put a flower or candle. Yhe cemeteries look sterile. Maybe they should change tha NO FLOWERE OR CANDLES rule and give a boost to the sagging economy.

greenbandman said...

I agree that it looks beautiful, all the candles, lights, people and all of the formalities of it all. But, as one person told me, it is a "fashion show" where everyone comes out to show how devoted they are to the deceased in their best regalia. I truly feel sorry for those forgotten grave sites or the very poor people who can't afford the grandiose "Mcgravestones" you see more and more of.

greenbandman said...

Speaking of sagging economy, I was told you can buy "cheaper" Chinese granite for your loved one, but they have yet to have a track record on how well it holds up.