All Souls Day, The Romanian Way

While North Americans are busy celebrating an ancient Celtic tradition with hooker and pimp costumes, the story in this corner of Europe is a bit different. Most of the world, in fact, does Halloween a bit differently; that is to say, there is a deeper meaning.

In Romania, it's customary to pay homage at the graves of deceased relatives. While the dead are 'cared for' in this manner all year round, on this particular day everybody goes.

Unlike the very expansive and rather plain cemeteries of America, the local variety, though not necessarily small, are very crowded. Like a multi-patterned quilt, the layout is never exactly linear and each grave has something a bit different. I've taken many a summer stroll through the central cemetery in Cluj, admiring the unique headstones in the flickering sunlight and trying to appreciate the amount of history that surrounded me. The atmosphere is, as the expression goes, hauntingly beautiful.

Today matters though. All Souls Day in Romania gives everyone here the chance to remember their ancestors and the loved ones who have passed into eternity. I could try to describe the scene in colourful detail, but for this post, I'll let the images do the talking. Suffice to say, a beautiful tradition imbued with meaning greatly eclipses the gaudy tackiness of Halloween.

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