All Saints' Day

Day of the Dead, Poland

Day of the Dead or All Saints Day, Poland

All Saints’ Day is a festival which has been celebrated in Poland and the rest of the Catholic world for many centuries. All Saints Day is a national holiday, and a day when people all over Poland visit the graves of loved ones and to place candles and flowers on graves. The special candles, which can burn for many hours, are placed there so that departed souls can find their way through the darkness. Cemeteries are lit by many hundreds of these candles and at night the cemeteries can often be seen glowing from long distances. Many Poles travel long distances to visit family graves and to remember the dead. The holiday is also sometimes known as the Day of the Dead.

All Saints’ Day (Wszystkich Świętych), Poland - 1st November

All Souls' Day (Dzien Zaduszny or Zaduszki), Poland - 2nd November