Saints and Patrons

Polish cemeteries are unique. I did not see such a rich variety of graves' styles and care for the graves by alive family members anywhere else in the world. This is partly due to the fact that Poles are Roman Catholic. For Roman Catholics the death is important part of human existence. The death does not end human life since we all have eternal spirit. Y We all will meet there, on the other side. Poles also have a tendency to remember past, history, not to live in the present time like people in other cultures. For a long time Catholic Church was very skeptical towards burning bodies, crematoria are still rare in Poland. Therefore the graves are large, since each person need to be buried in a coffin which is of the size of a human body.

Read more: Polish Cemeteries: History, Styles and Regional Differences

Although death makes us all democratically equal, Polish burial sites may differ in looks and value a lot. The difference depends mainly on finance. The bigger and more ostentatious the grave or tomb, the more affluent the family is. The sites range from simple earth graves for 100$ to giant double tombs for 5000$. The chosen material matters a lot.

The typical materials for the graves are sandstone, marble or granite, the cheaper graves are made of wood. The quality, color and type of the chosen material depends also on the availability of the material in certain geographical region and also on the fashion and style in the time when the grave was built. The earth and semi-earth graves (which has a rock material as a grave frame) allow to plant flowers and plants on the top of the grave. So, only families or widows who live in the neighborhood can affort to take care of the earth or semi-earth grave. Below are photographs of a variety of graves found in Polish cemeteries.

Read more: Polish Tombs and Graves: Overview of Styles

Poles were always very religious people. Everybody who would travel through Poland would see numerous crosses, figures of saints, statues and chapels on the sides of the roads. Local people take care of these religious symbols, a traveler can see fresh flowers and even freshly lit candles inside the small shrines.

Read more: Crosses and Road Chapels in Poland

Here are just a couple of photographs from the celebrations of the All Saints Day both - during the day and at night. This is a typical cemetery in a typical environment, so that people who are not familiar with All Saints' celebration could see how Poles celebrate this unique day.

Read more: All Saints' Day in Katowice (Silesia) Poland