All Saint's Day
        - -  America children have fun on Halloween dressing up in fancy costumes and collecting goodies from neighbors. But in the Catholic countries of Europe, the first day of November is a serious holiday at which families remember and honor loved family members and friends who have died.  In Eastern Europe, where so many have died during wars, and especially during World War II, this holiday takes on a special meaning.
            The people decorate the graves with lots of pretty flowers and candles.  When the graves are decorated the flames cast very haunting shadows and the mood is set for an outdoor service and prayers for the departed souls.

    Independence Day
        - -  Like USA's Independence Day on July 4, 1776, Poland claimed independence from Germany, Austria and Russia on November 11, 1918.  But before Poland claimed independence, a war broke out on November 1 between the Polish and Ukranian National Armies.  This started a war between the Polish and Russians until 1921.
 

   St. Andrew's Night (Andrzejki)
       - -  In Poland, fortune telling sets the mood for this evening of fun which might be the theme for an autumn social party.  Single girls pour hot, melted wax into a bowl of cold water, and the hardened wax is then held up to the light.  The shadow it casts on the wall is said to tell the boys that the girls might marry.  If the shadow shape looks like something used by a man, she will marry within a year. The shadow may also have a clue to who the future husband might be (traits, interests, occupation).  Another tradition is for the girls to toss their shoes to the middle of the floor. The first shoe to go over the threshold is the shoe of the girl who will marry the earliest. Fortune telling, singing, and happy times usually round out this very enjoyable evening.
 
 

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