Rákospalotai temető - Halloween

Today we explored a section of a cemetery about a 15 minute walk from where we are staying. To give you a feeling for how out of sync life and the blog is, this visit happened on Halloween. The day after, All Saints Day, and today are celebrated quite differently here than they are in the US. First of all, there has been very little Halloween candy on display in the stores. A few Christmas displays are already out in Tesco.



The big difference is in Hungary is the explicit connection between the living and the dead. On Halloween, the cemeteries are filled with what feels like more living than dead. This cemetery, just as in the large cemetery we visited earlier, has its share of flower vendors (this time, just outside the gate). A few people drove but most walked and took public transport. Very few arrived alone. Most came as couples or families.

Today is the day to clean the grave site and decorate it with flowers. To symbolically uncover the dead and honor them with life. There were easily a thousand people coming and going while we were in the cemetery. And as you see above, it was not just a few grave sites that were decorated...many have flowers. Some have lots of them. They are affordable here.

It is not uncommon for a grave marker to have a photo of the deceased and in this cemetery we found graves that contain many couples that met their demise either at the same time or at least in the same year. We suppose that it was either an accident or disease that took them so close in time. It seems odd that so many of those lost were not lost alone.

Tomorrow on All Saint's Day, people once again converge on the cemeteries to light candles for the dead. The day after this is called All Soul's Day. The tradition is:

According to the folkways, the night between the All Saints’ Day, and the All soul’s day the deceased have mass in the church, and when the bell tolls, they are going to the house of their beloved ones. In the peasant’s house, an extra plate has been placed to the tables, bread, salt and water has been served into them. In Székely Land a loaf has been cooked, which is called God’s pie or the bread of the dead.

In Hungary, food and charity has given to and cared about the homeless and poor ones, to advance the reach of the bliss of the dead souls. Mainly bread and honey coated scone is given at the gates of the cemeteries.

In this country, the traditions do not involve candy or costumes, rather...

In Hungary, the All Saints’ Day is even connected with economic traditions. This is the day, when – in many places – the servants, maids, and shepherds are hired. On other places, on this day the “servant fair” has been held, when the landlords have dealt with the servant who has gone to them to serve during the winter.

On All Saints’ Day all kind of work was forbidden. This was a way of the respect, because there was a habit, if anybody goes to plough, plant, or makes any kind of work, is attacks the dead ones. It was even forbidden to wash, sew and to clean up.

By the second of November,

...when all of the prohibitions have started; some of them could last to Christmas in the Christian intellectuals. The prohibitions on the all soul’s day have held to avoid the disturbance of the dead ones. In this week the washing was forbidden, in afraid that the dead, who comes home, would stand in water, and the clothes would turn into yellow. They have not whitewashed, because the maggots would invade the house. On the all soul’s day, they have not done any kind of digging, because it is believed that whoever eats that, will become sick. From the all soul’s day’s rain the next year’s dead ones was predicted, and they scared each other with that. Sewing was particularly forbidden, because every stitch was one stab to the dead – this prohibition lasts for the whole week.

This day, the graves have repaired, cleaned, ornamented with flowers and wreaths, and lighted with candles and lampions. The more dead ones the family has, the more candles are lighted. Some believe that the bleak souls can warm at the flame. Others believe that the candle must be lighted to the escaped souls, who are become free this day, can return to their graves.

To remember the ones, who have died abroad, or buried in an unknown place a bonfire is lighted, and the bells are constantly tolled. They believed “until the bell tolls, the deceased ones are at home”. In many places, when in the cemeteries candles have been lit, they left the lamp switched on at home, to let the dead look around.

We will go back to the cemetery on the evening of All Saint's day to see the candles lit for the dead. From what we learned about this holiday, once the sun goes down and the candles become the main light source in the place that normally has no light, the interesting time to be in the cemetery happens. Stay tuned.