A Night of Candles

This is new part of the cemetery, awaiting headstones.

Have you ever heard of All Saint's Day? In Europe November 1st, is a national holiday known as All Hallow's Day or All Saints Day.

It is designated in most of the Christian world but here in Slovakia they really go all out. The whole country sets aside a day to respect and honor saints who passed away, but everyone remembers their own ancestors who have lived on the earth.

People travel to the family cemetery and visit the grave of their dead ancestors. They come to clean, leave flowers, and light candles.

Lines form outside the cemetery gates, as people file in carrying plastic bags of decorations.

We observed a grandfather and grandson, a widow in her wheelchair, a nun praying with her rosary, many young couples, and hundreds of grandmas.

While this is a solemn occasion it is also impressive to walk through. I was struck by how families honor their loved ones who have passed on.

Prior to November, we saw stores full of candles and flowers. Some stores have dedicated aisles just for All Hallow's Day decorations.

We saw pallets of red or white decorative glass candles and people buying carts full of them. The floral shops were selling flower bouquets and wreaths on sidewalks outside their doors. Even vendors at the outdoor market were in on the holiday.


By the way, we saw nothing about Halloween in Slovakia. A few of us gathered to carve some tiny pumpkins of which many had never partook of such traditions. We saw no costumes, no skeletons, ghosts, witches, black cats or goblins, no Jack-o-lanterns, and certainly not any trick-or-treaters. Halloween is not celebrated here in Slovakia. But we enjoyed it through Facebook. 

All Hallow's Day is a three day celebration of honoring the dead. October 31, is All Hallow's Eve, a day to prepare themselves with prayers and fasting. All Hallow's Day  honors those who supposedly entered heaven. Then November 2nd, All Soul's Day, is a day you pray for departed souls. The cemeteries were busy with people coming and going preparing grave sites throughout the past few days.

When the sun went down the candles were glowing red and white in the cemetery. Nearly every grave was decorated with visitors stopping by for a visit. We brought with us two red glass candles to leave on a couple neglected graves which was no easy feat. We wanted to be part of this cultural event because it is awesome to participate and respect our kindred dead.

Today, is November 1st, and we remember our departed loved ones, let us ask ourselves "What happened to those who have died?"

God has given us some knowledge of what we can expect once we pass beyond this life. I hope these truths will help comfort you to understand where your departed loved ones are now and where all of us eventually will be.

When we die our bodies are laid in the grave, and our spirits go to the Spirit World. A prophet taught that those who have lived on the earth are all around us now, but we can't see them. The righteous will experience Paradise - happiness, rest, and peace, without troubles, care, and sorrows. The apostle John stated, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:4.