We've always thought that Halloween is one of the coolest holidays you can imagine. You get to dress as a monster and collect candy around the neighborhood. Fun! But here in Poland (where our Different Tales studio is located), we only knew it from TV. In our culture, we do
celebrate the dead around this time, but in a
wholly different manner.
For a person from outside the Slavic region, the Poles' traditional approach to faith and death may seem a bit stiff. We don't sing too many uplifting songs in our churches, and the mass is less about being with the community than about diving into your inner self and quietly contemplating your soul. This is also how we honor our dead.
On
November 1, we celebrate
All Saints' Day, which is a public holiday. Its name is self-explanatory, however, on
November 2, there's
All Souls' Day. This is the proper date when we should honor the departed. These two have mixed in the public consciousness and what we got is two days of not-quite-Halloween.
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Photo: Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA
On those days, Poles
light candles on the graves of their close ones. It is also customary to put a candle on unattended graves, under crosses or statues, or graves of unknown soldiers (which are a common sight, considering the scope of the tragedy of World War II in Poland). This results in
truly breathtaking views of cemeteries sparkling with thousands and thousands of lights.
We don't dress up or throw parties on All Saints' / Souls’ Day. Still,
the atmosphere is hardly grim. It's a paradox, but it's when life is truly bustling. Thousands visit the cemeteries, there's so much positivity and openness around, and the bright aura seen in the evening is a sight to behold. Even if you're not a religious person yourself it’s hard not to get captivated by the spirit of this day.
We presume that what you read above is a common tradition across the Slavic countries, however, we only speak from our own perspective.
What do you do in your country around Halloween? Let us know your traditions in the comments and enjoy this little discount "treat" for the game itself from us for this occasion:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1342620/Werewolf_The_Apocalypse__Heart_of_the_Forest/
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