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Different traditions
Poland is still a transforming country that looks for its own identity. Poles seem to be a bit confused about the path they want to follow. They cannot decide if the old tradition (often associated unjustifiably with Communism) or western trends are more important.
The example of this confusion is very well pictured this weekend. On the one hand 31st October is Halloween that came to us form USA and 1st November is All Saints Day, when we visit graves of our nearest and dearest that sadly passed away.
Halloween is all about parties and fun and 1st November is about grief, reverie and thoughts about death. It shows that co-existence of those two “celebrations” is difficult to imagine. However both are celebrated in Poland. “I’m going to the party tonight with my friends and tomorrow I am going to visit my grandparents’ grave in Kłodzko with my parents” – a teenager asked about her plans for the weekend answered.
The new Halloween is strongly promoted by clubs and pubs that see this day as yet another opportunity to double their profits. Also young people are more likely to throw a party than to think about death, the topic that is so abstract for them.
All Saints day is more popular with older people, for whom topic of death is less abstract. Some of them are angry with Halloween. “Do we need to copy USA in every bit? Don’t we have our own tradition?” they ask. They are afraid that “Americanization” of our lives is going to destroy family values.
This situation shows that it is yet another test for our democracy that allows us all to celebrate those occasions that suit us best.
