All Saint’s Day

Sometimes I let mum write her own blip even if it’s my journal, and I guess today is one of those times. /A

All Saint’s Day in Sweden is observed on the Saturday following October 31, and it is a red day which means it’s a holiday. It’s always been a very strong tradition to visit the graves of your loved ones who are no longer with us, leave a wreath maybe but above all light a candle that will burn over the weekend. Some people say a few words, some sing a hymn. But the powerful thing is the act of lighting the candle and remembering your loved ones. This tradition is, maybe a little unexpectedly, growing stronger and stronger, every year more and more people feel it’s important.

My father’s grave is not in Linköping, which is why we were there the other day. I went to church this morning and lit a candle for him there, which is also traditional, and then, around dusk I went to the large central cemetery to just walk in peace among all the candles.

It was an amazing experience. Thousands and thousands of candles along the rows of graves, and even more in the memorial area for those with no specific graves. And all these people! Young people, old people, families with small children, dogs. Several hundreds when I arrived, and when darkness had fallen well over a thousand. A long line to the free fika tent (coffee and cinnamon bun). People going in and out of the small chapel. Lighting their candles, standing for a moment in silence.

As darkness fell, the lights on the graves shone brighter and brighter, but the living walking among them were reduced to shadows, no longer clearly visible. Beautiful. Powerful.