In Poland and many other Catholic countries, November 1st is known as All Saints' Day.
All Saints' Day is a national holiday in Poland, and is a day dedicated to the memory of those who have died.
People clean the graves of their relatives, and also place candles on the graves.
Sometimes a grave will be covered in candles, most encased in glass holders.
The candle holders can be found in all colors, but the most common are white and red.
People may also place candles on memorials, or on the graves of saints or heroes.
The grave of a famous Polish poet was covered in a sea of candles that overflowed onto the ground around it. People from all over had come to pay their respects.
One belief is that as long as a candle burns, it carries a person's prayers to heaven.
With enough candles, you can help decrease the ammount of time the deceased spends in Purgatory.
In the Catholic faith, Purgatory is a place where good people must go to pay for their sins before being allowed into heaven.
People in this world can pray, light candles on All Saints' Day, and do other things to help cut down the time the deceased must spend in Purgatory.
Many candle holders bear crosses, and a few bear a likeness of Jesus' face.
In some countries All Saints' Day is followed by All Souls' Day, a day dedicated especially to the memory of children who have died.
As the night grows darker, the cemetary becomes awash with tiny lights.
People stand quietly at graves and pay their respects to the dead.
Most people bring extra candles to place at important monuments, such as the one to all those who died in the concentration camps during the Holocaust. Because the bodies were cremated at the camps, the monument is built on ground containing soil from each of the concentration camps.
The candles burn through the night, and often on into the morning.
The holiday is so important that no one cares what the weather is like. Last year it was below freezing, and people were still outside, placing candles on graves and saying prayers for the dead.
Some people may travel to another city to visit the graves of their relatives.
The sight of the cemetary after dark is truely beautiful.
The candles are like small beacons of hope in the darkness...
...hope that God will somehow hear their prayers.
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." -John 8:12
"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." -John 1:5
Pray that the eyes of the Polish people will be opened so they may see the light of Christ.
