Sunday, November 1, 2015

All Saints' Day 2015


Salve,
tempus fugit and so, you and I are in the month of November - the Fall in full swing, so to speak.
In Poland the first day of November is all about the family, ancestors and cemeteries - decorating with memorial  wreaths, fresh and artificial flowers and ''znicze'' (grave candles) & candles...

In the Slavic traditions this was the time of Dziady and karaboszki, I wrote about this Slavic Halloween 3 years ago.

Two cemeteries are very important in our Polish myth and tradition, presently outside of Poland. One is the famous Cemetery of Eaglets in Lwow [Lviv] aka Leopolis, Ukraine - in spite of the symbolism this cemetery has been restored by the Polish workers, starting with the workers from Energopol under Jozef Bobrowski in 1989, and Polish money, and currently should be protected by the Ukrainian government. The cemetery is a huge tourist attraction in Lviv.

 and the Rossa Cemetery in Wilno [Vilnius], Lithuania.
Above, Rossa Cemetery , the funerary monument of Władysław Syrokomla aka Ludwik Kondratowicz, famous Polish writer and translator, author of the still popular children's song -Wlazł kotek na płotek 

 Nota bene,  a  little gem for reenactors - a documentary about the annual XVII reenactment event, Polish-Swedish war,  at the Ostromecko Estate, on the Vistula, near Bydgoszcz, in Kujawy Poland.  (film is in Polish).

Perhaps you could be a little Polish today and thus light your candle and spend some time thinking about your ancestors and people who in wars and daily struggles gave their lives for your family, country and homeland ...  after all today is ancestors' day.

ps
images are from Wiki  Commons

No comments: