Halloween Abroad

I'm sorry to say that I did not get a picture of myself carrying a 20kg (44lb) pumpkin on the public tram last night. It was quite a feat. And perhaps even funnier than seeing me struggling with the beast was the reactions from the people around me. Children were pointing in curiosity, and adults were laughing at the absurdity. It was clear that it is not every day that people walk around Poznań carrying large pumpkins, not even on the day before Halloween. Happily, we did successfully carve it (as you see on the left), though we had to use a dinner knife to do so.

Halloween is not a major holiday in Poland. Granted, many of the larger stores have a small corner for Halloween decorations, and a few of the clubs, bars, and restaurants did have Halloween-themed events or parties, but generally it is all on a much smaller scale than might be expected in the US. I have found a fair number of pumpkins in supermarkets, but most are pre-cut into quarters, and even the whole pumpkins are rather ugly and strangely shaped-- much better for cooking than for carving. Some places do have small jack-o-lanterns on display, but it seems that they are generally purchased pre-carved. I have yet to see a child dressed in costume, though a rather ghastly-clad trio of adults was handing out candy in the Rynek two night ago. I have not heard of anyone who goes trick-or-treating, though whether this is because it is an outlandish idea or whether it is because neighbors simply do not have candy on hand for the children, I cannot say.

Instead, I think one of the big reasons that Halloween is not widely popular in Poland is because of the immense importance of the day after-- November 1, All Saints Day (Wszystkich Świętych). To mark this holy day, Poles travel all over the country to visit their hometowns and the graves of their relatives. (Thus, the days before Nov. 1 are always the busiest travel days of the year in Poland). Family members visit the cemeteries, clean the graves, and add flowers and candles. To make the holiday a little bit less stressful, many cities, including Poznań, add extra public transportation services directly to and from the cemeteries to accommodate the huge crowds of people. Tomorrow I intend to join the throngs journeying to the cemeteries, but for now, have a happy All Hallows' Eve!