ALL SAINTS

Having for years listened to Gregorian chants, and not to forget my Irish Catholic schooling, it made a lot of sense to me that I was determined to be a serious observer of All Saints' Day as it is celebrated in Poland.
Wiki says, 'All Saints' Day (in the Catholic Church, officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on November 1 in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown.
In terms of Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. In the Roman Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls' Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries.'
In Poland the day is spent visiting the graves of deceased relatives, where prayers and flowers are offered, candles are lit and the graves themselves are cleaned, repaired and repainted. The American Halloween is gaining popularity among the young, but the firm upholders of tradition speak of it rather disparagingly.

The cemetery I visited was crowded on the Catholic side, spooky and near empty on the Protestant side and looked like death on the Russian Orthodox side. Here are some photographs from that evening.