All Soul's Day

The beginning of November was especially marked this year by graveyards. My trip to Milan was the start of a trip to see the spaces of the dead in my Budapest home. Of course, this curiosity was sparked by the importance placed on this holiday of All Soul's day. In Hungary and other parts of Europe all Soul's day is a national holiday and people come out in small droves to clean and to pay respect to the dead. On my way home from the airport, I was surprised to find  flower shacks that appeared along the way and people coming onto the bus with pots of flowers. Kerepesi cemetery is one of the most famous in Budapest, filled with poets, protesters, actress politicians and other notables. In the evening people come out and light candles and the cemetery is filled with tiny lights, sometimes a single candle at the base of a grave and sometimes larger gathering of candles. Names of streets and stops along the metro were transformed as people stuffed flowers and flags and candles at their monuments. Kids walked with their parents, excited to light the candles and wander around in he dark. There was something calming to walk around as the light faded and the candles began too glow. It was so peaceful I decided to come back in the daylight. It was even nicer in the daylight, trees turning color and shedding their leaves everywhere. 

 

The grave of Blaha Lujza a famous actress the "nations nightingale" from the mid 19th to early 20th ce

Fall in the cemetery

Tomb of Ferenc Deak a statesman who negotiated a treaty with the Hapsburg Court. I knew him better as the main square and metro stop that i go to almost every morning.

A funny kind of photo shoot...Always a few Goths to be found in a cemetery!