All Souls day not a pumpkin in sight

All Souls day not a pumpkin in sight.

All Souls day in the Polish or indeed Catholic calendar is right up there with Easter and Christmas for its importance.

November 2nd people would visit their deceased relatives, placing a candle and fresh flowers on the graves. They would say prayers and remember them.

In church they would light small votive candles one for each member of their family.

As a small child this would be my job - a not too small responsibility either.

I would put money in the box, light the candles, kneel at the alter before mass started and say a prayer for them. After a few years that list would get pretty long and there was the risk of setting off the fire alarm in the church due to the blazing inferno of candles! Coat sleeve safety was also an issue!

I have a dim view of the commercialisation of this event, it loses the whole point! So no pumpkins or plastic tatt from Asda for me thank you.

This year being a pandemic year I still placed flowers and a candle on the grave, saying a small prayer and remembering them, not that I ever forget them of course. Sadly I could not go to Wales to visit my godfathers grave or Scotland for Stanley's (why did they have to move so far away!) due to lockdown restrictions but hopefully next year I will make up for that? Poland too of course where I have to visit my Grandparents graves (only late by 30+ years so far).

This day is not meant to be a sad day it's to remember the good times and be happy, one day I hope to see them all again (but not yet!) however they are with me always I know that.

I wish you all the best and lets get through this pandemic together so we can light more candles in the coming years.