All Saints Day

November 1st is all Saints Day.

"All Saints' Day was originally a commemoration of the martyrs of the ancient church -- the men, women, and children who were persecuted and killed for their faith in Christ. It has since become a festival on which the church remembers all the Christian faithful, both known and unknown God declares everyone who has been baptized and believes the promise of the gospel to be justified, holy, and blameless. The communion of saints therefore includes both those still living on earth and those who have died in the faith and are now living in heaven."

This day is celebrated differently throughout the world. In Croatia it is a National Holiday. It is a tradition to spend the days prior to All Saint's Day cleaning, repairing and repainting the graves. The day prior to and the day are spent visiting the graves of deceased relatives where prayers are said, flowers laid and candles lit.

All Saint's Day in Varaždin:

Prior to All Saint's Day:
The flower shops stocked more flowers and flower arrangements. You could buy everything from fake flowers and fake flower arrangements, to single fresh cut flowers, potted plants, and simple arrangements, to elaborate arrangements. The prices reflected the complexity of the arrangements, ranging anywhere from a few Kuna to thousands of Kuna. There were some very beautiful displays. Stalls were set up to sell candles. They come in an assortment of size, design, colour, and shape. As the day drew closer the streets became more crowded as people searched for the perfect flowers and candles. On Thursday evening I went with my host parents to pick out flowers and candles for their relative's graves. On Friday afternoon my host parents went and cleaned the graves and placed the flowers.

All Saint's Day:
Saturday (Nov 1st) morning I went with my host parents to lay candles on their relative's graves. Later that day, once it was dark we went back. The graveyard was aglow with thousands of candles. Upon the graves lay candles and flowers, creating a spectacular scene. We walked throughout the graveyard for an hour. It was magnificent.

Here are some Pictures from my visit to the graveyard in the evening of All Saint's Day.

You visit the graves to light candles and say a prayer. If there is no grave to visit, (relatives buried elsewhere in the world) you light a candle and place it around the cross. It was a very stunning sight. As sea of candles surrounding the cross.

The cross again.

A close up of the candles. My host mom gave me a candle to add to the display.

The candles covered an extensive area. The cross is located in the middle of a four way crossway and there was only a narrow path left to walk around.

One of the pathways. The groupings of candles are on the graves.

Looking down the pathway.

Here are some pictures of the flowers and candles on the graves. They are all really magnificent.

This is a memorial to the lives lost during Croatia's war of Independence.