For Lutherans in the USA, All Saints Day isn’t much of a holiday. I don’t know of any kind of celebration other than perhaps a prayer in the Sunday service in memory of those who have died the previous 12 months with prayers for comfort for the families. However, here in Sweden, where Lutherans are closer to the Roman Catholic traditions, the day is a holiday. That means that Friday was a de-facto holiday at Johannelund and Monday is off too.
Today, people flocked to the church graveyards and lit candles on the graves of loved ones.
In my basic Swedish, I invited Anya to come with me to the gravhögar, or grave mounds with me, because the Old Uppsala church and graveyard is next to the mounds. She asked why? I said (in English) that it would be lit up with candles as people are remembering those that have passed. She said, “Really, they remember the Yngling kings!?!” (The Yngling kings are the vikings buried there over 1000 years ago.) Oh! I needed to specify that I was going to the church graveyard! It was a good laugh, but she still didn’t come with me.
I bundled up and braved the bitter wind on my bike.
It was beautiful.
I warmed up inside the church a bit, which also allowed a time for prayer.
I wonder why this tradition isn’t part of American Christianity, as I have experienced it. Are we so mobile that we have moved from family graves? The Reformation had more transformations of practices in some areas, while Swedish Lutheranism is quite high church with more resemblance to Catholicism. (I’m a bit low church, so I am stretched a bit sometimes here.) Any other ideas?
According to Wikipedia… For Lutherans, “While the dead are solemnly remembered during worship on All Saints’ Sunday, the festival is ultimately a celebration of Christ’s victory over death.” I guess that in the USA, we put the emphasis on Easter instead.
Most of the rest of my day was spent working on my PhD dissertation revisions for publication (and the typing really aggravated my tendonitis).
Anya is super disciplined with studying over this week’s break. I am amazed! But she has a goal to get a 7 of 7 possible points in higher math. However, Anya and I did take a couple breaks for ping pong.
Anya had pole vaulting practice in the evening, which also was a break from studying. We also each Skyped with friends from the US.
May this All Saints Day for you be filled with warm memories of loved ones.
With blessings,
Beth
More Americans visit grave sites on Memorial Day weekend than on All Saints’ Day. And yes, Lutherans do emphasize the Resurrection and Promise of Life Eternal, looking forward rather than back. My mother always went up to Grasston, MN to visit her parents’ graves on Memorial Day. But that comes in the spring when weather is better; not in November when there is usually snow. Perhaps that’s why the Midwest Lutherans never got in the practice for All Saints’.