Memorial Day is coming

26th October 2014

All Saints’ Day is an annual national holiday in Poland to celebrate the saints on November 1st. It is also known as the Day of the Dead, as many people remember dead family and friends on this day.

Roman-Catholic Cementary in my suburb

The old chapel in the graveyard where funerals services are held.

Typical Roman Catholic graveyard in my country

The oldest grave..

It is fantastic monument and so impressive

All Saints’ Day is an official public holiday in Poland, so schools, banks, government offices and most private businesses are closed. 
Special church services are held to commemorate the saints in various towns and cities in Poland. Many people in Poland lay flowers and candles on the graves of deceased family members and friends in cemeteries. This tradition continues through to All Souls’ Day which is on November 2, but it is not a public holiday.


 According to some sources, the idea for All Saints' Day goes back to the fourth century while other sources say that a commemoration of “All Martyrs” began to be celebrated as early as 270 CE. Pope Gregory IV made All Saints' Day an authorized holiday in the Catholic Church in 835 CE.

The candles that are laid on graves are especially made so they can burn for many hours. It is believed that these candles help the departed souls find their way through the darkness.


Now a lot of people clean graves of their relatives and bring beautiful flowers and candles. But on Saturday 1st November each graveyard will be beautiful. I believe I will take some photos and put them on my blog.