From the Field

Traditions are important, and obviously various cultures have various traditions they observe.  Albeit it silly, there is one tradition that we still celebrate in our home despite the fact that those around us, in the Catholic country we live in, do not.  As far back as I can remember, Halloween was about celebrating Fall, carving pumpkins (and of course roasting the seeds), dressing up in silly costumes, and going trick-or-treating.  And as one gets older, they are the ones to hand out loads of candy to the trick-or-treaters, which is also quite fun!

Although we have lived abroad collectively for almost 4 years, our son who is almost 8, still remembers and loves celebrating certain aspects of Halloween.  While trick-or-treating is not an option here, (although in the last almost 3 years we’ve been here, I’ve noticed there are more and more places that celebrate October 31st by having costume parties – unfortunately for families, they are mostly in night clubs).  So, while our festivities are thus at a very bare minimum (the only Halloween party we heard of one year was at McDonalds), in our home we make it a tradition to make some sort of Halloween treat (see creepy troll fingers below), and we always carve pumpkins (and of course roast the seeds)! 

BUT it would also be silly though to live in this country and to not take part in what is a much more meaningful tradition – All Saints Day, November 1st.  All Saints Day is a National Holiday in many Catholic countries.  In general it is a time when people honor their loved ones or family members who have passed on.  The Catholic church takes this day very seriously, and Croatia, as a predominantly Catholic country is no exception.  A friend told us that over 200,000 people visited Mirogoj, Croatia’s largest cemetery, this past All Saints weekend.  That’s quite a lot for a country of around 4 million people. 

This year I decided to visit the cemetery as many do; by waiting in the incredibly long lines to take the free bus which takes you up to the cemetery and back to the center.  We chose to go around 4 o’clock so we could see the cemetery during the day, at dusk, and then in the dark.  Personally, I’ve never really been a fan of visiting cemeteries (especially even less so after seeing the “weeping angels” episodes.  Doctor Who anyone???), but Mirogoj, while normally a wonderful sight to see, on All Saints Day is that much more of a sight to behold.  Along with flowers, many people bring candles and lanterns to place on the graves of their family members, loved ones, and even historical and prominent political figures. 

As the sun set, the lights from the candles began to illuminate the cemetery.  I wanted to make sure I was not being irreverent by taking pictures.  I did see others around me doing the same thing.  It was kind of hard not to take pictures – it was so beautiful.  Aside from just how visually beautiful Mirogoj was to take in, there were other beautiful things about this day – one important one I noticed is that it’s about family.  Families went together, rode the bus together, traveled to the grave sites together; siblings, children, parents, grandchildren – all together.  I loved seeing this, and after I saw just how many people were there, I began to realize just how much this holiday has a special place in the hearts of the people here. 

Hope you enjoy this little mosaic of the pictures I took.  Not nearly as beautiful as in person, but I think you get the idea.