boo, I have a problem with a category (again) ... this is the thing I did some time ago out of press scraps with use of oil paints and ink (so in the first stage it was typical mixed media work) but then I improved it and added the final touches digitally (together with a color tonation) - so it lands here as a digital piece; but I'm still not sure whether it should go to "people", "dark" or' "conceptual"... no matter.

Dziady was an ancient Slavic feast to commemorate the dead. Literally, the word can be translated as "Forefathers". It is also the title of a famous Romantic poetic drama by Adam Mickiewicz. During the ages of Christianity the pagan tradition melted with the religious character of All Hallows (Festum Omnium Sanctorum) celebrated November 1st in the church. There's plenty of strange and mysterious customs that were cultivated among the village people of Eastern Europe on that time. One of the most remarkable was gathering in a desolated place of cult (a cemetery, church or graveyard chapel) to summon the souls who stay in purgatory to come and say what they need to be let into Heaven. Such a depiction of this event is presented in Mickiewicz's work, but ethnography noted many other forms. You can find a good deal of reading on all those festivals, both pagan and religious - a perfect way to get into the mood of that time.

Whatever you celebrate - spooky Hallowe'en, celtic Samhain, reflective All Souls' Night or joyful, in fact, Festum Omnium Sanctorum - have an unforgettable and special time!