Nowadays, the Night of the Living Dead, known as Halloween, is widely recognized all over the world. Although in Poland it became popular in 90s, the traditional celebration is slightly different.
Don’t worry, you won’t be scared
First of all, don’t expect any zombies, vampires, monsters or any other mythological creatures in our country. Sure, in big cities you can enjoy dress-up parties, but those are only commercial events and have nothing to do with local traditions. But anyway it’s still a great occasion to go out with friends. Many pubs and clubs prepare special attractions for this night and let’s not forget about the discounts!
Also trick-or-treating is still uncommon, but occasionally you can spot groups of kids in costumes going from home to home in hopes of scaring neighbors and getting some sweets. So just in case, don’t forget to leave them chocolate or cookies!
Polish Halloween in XXI century
Instead of Halloween, as Christians, we believe that there is a spiritual bond between those in Heaven and the living on Earth, so during those days we commemorate the faithfully departed. On the 1st of November, Poles celebrate All Saints’ Day (pol. Dzień Wszystkich Świętych). It’s a feast held for all the saints who reached Heaven, even those who have not been canonized. The 2nd of November is called All Souls’ Day during which Poles commemorate all Christians who have died and are in Purgatory.
But what does it mean? How do we celebrate it?
It’s quite simple actually. Poles visit the cemeteries to light candles and leave flowers on their relatives’ and friends’ graves. We believe that these candles help souls find their way to Heaven. Often, accidently or not, we meet our other family members and together we pray and speak about the descendants. We highly recommend visiting graveyards at night. Thousands of candles create a magical atmosphere and give a breathtaking effect!
Dziady - how it looked during Slavic times
Believe it or not, we used to celebrate Halloween two times a year! The tradition associated with the Night of Living Dead was called ‘Dziady’ and has its beginning in old Slavic times. Many customs were created during pagan times and even though we are Christians now, some ideas are still present in our beliefs, but in slightly changed forms. For Slavs both worlds, spirit and natural, were in constant interaction. They believed that spirits of the dead can visit the world of the living and because of that, many customs of that time focused on the afterlife.
For instance, the celebrations of ‘Dziady’ were centered around feasts held at the cemeteries, during which people could leave food and gifts for souls of their ancestors or make bonfires to warm them up and help them find their way home. Sounds creepy? Don’t worry, nowadays as we mentioned before, it’s enough to just put flowers on the graves and to light candles.
What about decorations? Americans have the pumpkin, but we had a Karaboshka, a wood or clay mask depicting ancestral spirits. Karboshka was also worn during the custom of leading souls back to the spirit world.
Both days are free of work, so don’t be shocked if you won’t find any shop open. Just remember to make shopping the day before! And because so many people join the celebration, it can be also difficult to use public transport or even travel by car.
Author: Ewa Kisło