Among the most amazing things I saw in our tour of Poland were the cemeteries and memorials–amazing because they are quite different from what you may see in the USA.
First, the cemeteries. Most of the cemeteries we saw were large, I’d say. But the amazing thing is the way they are kept up. First, there are not just simple ground level slabs like those now popular in the US, nor are there only simple headstones. They are more like raised tombs, often. That is, usually a marble or granite or other rock type platform covers the whole area of the grave, and on top of that there is a headstone–sometimes simple, sometimes ornate. But that’s not all Kwiaty. Flowers, and plenty of them. Sometimes fresh flowers, but often lots and lots of plastic flowers, brightly colored, are placed on these tombs. And in addition, there are votive lamps. I believe one of the traditions there is to decorate the graves on All Saint’s Day, November 1st. In some cases, the plastic flowers were quite faded, but I’ve no doubt that this November 1st will result in a total “redecoration” of these tombs and well as a fresh compliment of votives. Take a look at the picture and take note.
In some cases, the graves are even more elaborate. In one cemetery in Zakopane (an area noted for its wooden buildings and wood carvings), there were may tombs decorated with carved figures, carved signs, and the like. See pictures DSC_532 and DSC_536-538, for example.
There were also some very sombering tombs and monuments, such as these: IMG_951 and IMG_953. Look at the inscription on the first one. It reads “in memory of the victims of Bolshevik Barbarism.” The date is August 25, 1920. And the number killed? 48 Countrymen. Very sobering indeed. Notice the rifle and the saber. This was during the Polish war after World War I. Poland had just become a country, and the Russians invaded. They were ruthless and slaughtered 48 villagers.
The other thing I really noticed was the roadside memorials. See Pictures IMG_2693 and DSC_9810. These are the only two pics that turned out really well. But all along the roadside in Poland you’ll see such memorials. Often times they are quite elaborate and the abundance of fresh (though usually plastic) flowers and votive lights shows that they are still maintained. There are a lot of them everywhere in the countryside. Now, in the US you sometimes see roadside memorials at the site where someone died, but these are different. They are simply expressions of religious belief and may have been erected simply to express that belief, or in memory of a person or event, or have some other meaning. But they are plentiful and well maintained.
So, you can see that Poles are very reverent, and they pay respects to their ancestors and keep their graves and memorials in great shape. It truly was amazing to see cemetery after cemetery like this, and they are scattered all across Poland. Of course, Poland itself is an amazing place!
