The first Saturday in November in Sweden is Alla helgons dag or All Saint's Day. In fact, the day is more like a combination of the two days - All Saints and All Souls that many Catholic countries celebrate on November 1st and 2nd.

It is one of the most beautiful memorial days I've ever experienced. The Swedes remember their dead family members, by placing candles and fir wreaths on their graves. As darkness comes very early this time of year, the glimmering candles create a moving and sombre sight in the cemetery.

There is something very peaceful and serene about cemeteries in Sweden. I recall those I visited in Australia. They were well kept, with manicured lawns and gardens but somehow still a bit depressing with the row upon row of gravestones. I always felt very exposed when I went there and there seemed little incentive to linger or contemplate in such surroundings. By contrast, those in Sweden are kept very natural and set out like a woodland.



We took this photo earlier in the year when we visited the Skogskyrkogården, an enormous, world famous cemetery just south of Stockholm and burial place of Greta Garbo. It was like an oasis of tranquility and very representative of the feel of others in Sweden.

One of the nicest features is what they call a minneslunden (a memorial grove). These vary, but in general consist of a circular grove of trees enclosing a small pool of water, usually surrounded with rocks, moss and small plants. A place to sit, think and feel.

We visited the small local cemetary yesterday to see what it was like on Alla helgons dag. We had observed in the days preceding it, that several places around town were doing a brisk trade in wreaths, candles and lanterns.



This is a fairly representative example of the sort of things people use in Sweden to decorate graves. It is quite a contrast to the floral wreaths and sheaths that are commonly used in Australia. While the wreaths have been used for centuries, the idea of using candles is a very recent custom, dating back to the mid 1950's and borrowed from the Spanish and Italian traditions.

It was only 4.30pm when we came to the cemetery, but it was already quite dark and looking across the field of lights it was hard to pick out the people, even though there was a huge crowd there.



It was so beautiful, that I was quite speechless. It is really hard to capture the mood and the sight of the place. It was literally a sea of candlelight - there were hundreds of pools of light glowing as far as the eye could see. Every grave had at least one and more often several candles burning in the late afternoon gloom. We did get a more close up view of one grave to give you a little more detail.



We visited the little chapel there and walked along the paths feeling our way carefully. The sky was dark, the moon hidden by clouds and the only light available was the candles. Add to that, the rising mist and creeping cold and you can see that it is a surreal and touching scene.



You can see why in medieval times, this day was considered the first day of winter. The darkness seems to have a personality of its own and its influence will now dictate our lives for the next few months. I know my husband is dearly waiting for the first sign of spring already! I feel that it's going to be a LONG winter.