All Saints Day
Instead of Halloween in Poland, the holiday is more like the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Called All Saints Day, it's the day that everyone visits the cemetery to pay tribute to family members that have passed away.
Special trams and buses that go to cemeteries ran all day and we made it to the cemetery be evening. Unfortunately, we arrived to late to see the gypsies. While for Poles this holiday is very somber, for gypsies it's a celebration, and they visit the mausoleums of their dead and bring food and sing and dance. This is in a nice contrast to the Poles, who are lighting candles and praying 10 feet away.
It was quite a sight, the entire massive Wroclaw cemetary was alight with multi colored candles and full of people walking around in the evening. There was one giant cross, which represents the graves of those who are too far away to visit for people living in the city. It was particularly spectacular because it was lit up with thousands of candles in tribute to family living in other parts of Poland.
The magic of photography catches the image of two ghosts haunting the cemetary, rumored to be spinsters who died here many years ago, alone, desperate and without the love of any man.
posted by Tomek @ 9:06 AM
6 Comments:
wow..even after you told me about it..i didn't imagine it would look like that.
1. What a waste - no candy?!!
2. Gypsies are generally cooler than the rest of the population. Gypsies, people who look like gypsies...
3. I'm very impressed that the Poles resisted the urge to decorate the crosses with tacky neon and christmas tree lights and opted for understated, elegant candles instead. My temple has Christmas lights on the outside, streamers on the inside. :S
how'd you do that tomek?
looks awesome
Yeah, those shots look brilliant man. Completely erire & macabe. The Cadbury sponsored candied fest of DYI hollywood fx we revel in here is alright but a tad too cartoonish & well candy assed. It is what it is . . . but hardly captures the sinister, macabre occultish vibe it should . . . not like Day of the Dead in Mexico. From what you say it sounds a more formal, somber and less celebratory affair in the land of the man purse but asthetically (at least from yr pix) it looks damn creepy & otherworldly. An yeah, my Oma says to stay the hell away from gypsies 'cause they're bad news.
yeah, the day is really somber but it was a sight to see.
the cemetary was enourmous, and the gypsie mausoleums were huge and ornate. the whole cemetary was lit up with different colours and as big as the crowd was, my friend said we really missed the huge one in the afternoon.
it was a nice experience, and the next holiday is coming up at the end of this month. Andrew day. it should be crazy.
Pleeese tell 'em about me. I got's much love ta give.
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