The Day of the Dead
Not to be mixed up with Mexico's Día de los muertos, the Day of the Dead in Hungary and elsewhere in Europe is a somber and dignified occasion to reminisce, lit up in haunting candlelight.
In the Catholic Christian tradition, some of which is very prevalent in Central Europe, the day after All Saints' Day is the Day of the Dead, also called All Souls' Day. This is the day when we in Hungary, regardless of religious denomination, honor the memory of our passed loved ones.
We visit the graves of family members, tidy up or even repair them, plant flowers, place wreaths on the stone – and light lanterns.
On the night of the 2nd of November, cemeteries across Hungary are lit up like on no other day of the year. The light of thousands of lanterns sometimes dominates the skyline.
The tradition of the lanterns have a turbulent and sometimes disturbing history. Some say that the Church used All Saints' Day and later All Souls' Day to supplant the ancient Celtic ritual of Samhain. I'm no authority about Samhain, although in the 90s we listened to some lectures about it and other ancient Irish/Scottis/Celtic traditions.
What is certain is that at Samhain, people lit bonfires, lanterns to keep the spirits of the dead away, to prevent them from mischief that would soil winter supplies and next year's crops. It isn't mere reminiscing: it was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead walk freely among the living.
Mexico's Día de los muertos surely draws from this tradition; although there this day is a bittersweet occasion of celebrating the life of the late loved ones.
The photos in this set have been taken on the 1st of November, so the graves are not all lit up yet. The scarce light is a challenge for the camera. But the photos that do come out well reflect the quiet and dignified nature of the reserved Central European tradition.
There is one photo where they put a Jack-O-Lantern (the carved pumpkin with a candle inside) on a tomb. I thought they did it in jest, or else they confused two things; but when I did my little research, I had to realize there were no two things to confuse. These things are connected.
If you don't believe me, read this little post from a Scottish-American society: https://www.ccsna.org/samhain-halloween-and-the-day-of-the-dead. Oh, and watch Coco.
The two photos at the beginning try to depict how this tradition of honoring the dead goes hand-in-hand with new life. There are grapes that are harvested late, sometimes well into December, for various reasons.
