Indy NMI Blog

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.   

Dave here. 

I thought, for those who might like a look into our lives, I would tell you about our Sunday.

This past weekend we were invited to the “vikendica” of some new friends.  They are the parents of one of Jacob’s school friends, and they invited us to join them for a Sunday lunch at their family home in the hills near Zagreb.  For those who don’t know, a vikendica is a small family second-home, where people will spend free time relaxing and enjoying life.  Sometimes vikendicas are just outside of the city, or sometimes they are on the coast, but they are always a nice break from daily life in Zagreb.  Well, we got to know this family a bit last year, and we had had hopes of getting together for dinner or something.  As it often happens, time slipped away from us all, so we were thrilled that they asked us to their vikendica.  We were joined by a third family (who we were also excited to spend time with) for a relaxing day in the hills outside of Zagreb.  Many compare this area of Croatia to Tuscany, Italy; rolling hills, small farms, gardens and vineyards, and little old homes that have stood the test of time.  This little cabin did not disappoint.  It’s about 100 years old and has been in their family for 50 years.  Our friend’s grandmother bought it in the 60’s after she sold a broach to pay for it.  I would say she made the right choice.  We were only there for half a day, but this day will remain with us forever.  As soon as we pulled into the little driveway, I thought I had entered a postcard.  The home overlooks fields of grass and wild flowers, with small hills and mountains all around.  It felt magical as Jacob jumped out of the car out to join his friends and they instantly ran around in the grass smiling and laughing.  As the day went on, we all just spent time talking and laughing, sharing stories about life and work and family, and watching our kids play.  Sometime around 1 or 2 we finished preparing lunch and we sat around eating and talking some more.  The food was amazing but the time together was even better.  After lunch we decided to go for a nice walk, down into the valley, and up the next hill, then around the small road back to the cabin.  It was a beautiful walk, with the sun shining on our faces, as we enjoyed the Croatian countryside.  The kids (and parents) picked up different leaves for a school project.  Emma stopped a few times to throw rocks, her new favorite past-time.  Then we finished off the walk collecting fallen apples from a tree near the cabin.  As the sun began to set over the hills, we watched the kids play on the big tree in the yard and I began to lament that we must soon leave.  It was honestly a day that I might not forget, and I enjoyed getting to know some new friends very much.