Even though we were in Krakow for October 31st, the American "holiday" went unnoticed for us. What took over instead was the European celebration of All Saints Day. Everything besides tourist restaurants were closed and we noticed more than half of everyone we passed was carrying flowers and lanterns. We spent the day wandering around the city enjoying the unseasonably warm weather, but the real celebrate took place after sunset.
We headed to the biggest cemetery in Krakow on what seemed like a pilgrimage with the rest of the city. There were no lampposts but instead the entire cemetery was illuminated by millions of lanterns and lots of flowers. It was such a gorgeous and moving sight. We found out that nuns come with plenty of lanterns to make sure that not a single grave went without some sort of recognition.
It was also so interesting to see a cemetery bustling with people at 8 o'clock at night. No one was somber, everyone was just respecting their ancestors. What a change from the either terribly sad personal experiences I have had or the "spooky" connotations that we perceive of when we think of cemeteries at night.
We spent a long time wandering around the cemetery admiring all the lanterns and watching everyone else partake in the holiday celebration. I wish we had this sort of reverence for the dead and celebrated our ancestors like they do in Europe.
Sara: You give great info in your posts. I love reading them and wish I were there!! I hope your trip was all you hoped for.
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