There's no need for me to get to Wroclaw too early, because everything is closed on this holiday except convenience stores. All families pile into the car and travel to every cemetery where they have loved ones buried, laying flowers and lighting candles. In Milano my students talked about this holiday and how it's all about to visiting the cemeteries, but none of my students actually 'fessed up to going to the cemetery.... they said it was only the old people who actually participated.

In Poland, everybody's in. As holidays go it's halfway between an Italian Sunday at mamma's and Christmas (plus dead relatives, minus the gifts).

Apparently in addition to the special masses at the church today, you can also experience a sundown mass in the cemetery (just what every American would want to do the night after Halloween)... with hundreds of candles alight... it's supposed to be beautiful.

Also people buy extra candles to festoon graves which seem to have been abandoned.

I have new friends here who have recently lost spouses. I can only imagine how difficult a day like this must be. My thoughts are with you today.