What is Dziady?
Dziady means “grandfathers” or “forefathers” in Polish and Belarusian (Dzyady). It’s the name of a group of pre-Christian commemorations of the dead held several times a year across the eastern Slavic lands, especially in today’s Belarus, eastern Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. The best known is the autumn Dziady, held at the turn of October and November, around the same time as Halloween and the Christian feasts of All Saints (November 1) and All Souls (November 2).
The Church gradually folded these customs into All Souls’ Day, called Zaduszki in Poland. In Belarus, the Saturday before November 2 is still widely known as Dzyady. In Poland, the custom survives in the sea of candles that families light on graves on November 1, one of the most moving sights in Central Europe.
How the ancestors were welcomed
Customs varied from village to village, and most of what we know comes from nineteenth-century ethnographers, so take any single list with caution. Commonly recorded customs include:
- A special supper with dishes for the dead: kutia (wheat or barley with honey and poppy seed), pancakes, kissel and vodka. A portion was set aside or left on the table overnight.
- Spoons left on the table and crumbs not swept away, so the visiting souls could eat.
- Before eating, someone poured a little drink or dropped a spoonful of food on the floor or table for the ancestors.
- Doors or windows left slightly open, and conversation kept quiet and respectful.
- Fires lit at crossroads or by cemeteries so wandering souls could warm themselves and find their way.
- In some places, the bathhouse was heated and water and a towel left out for the dead to wash.
The mood was solemn rather than scary. The dead were family, and the point of the evening was to remember them and ask for their care over the household in the coming year.
Dziady, Samhain and Halloween
Dziady is sometimes called Slavic Halloween, and the comparison is useful as long as it isn’t taken too far. Halloween grew out of the Christian All Hallows’ Eve and the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the start of winter in Ireland and Scotland and was also believed to thin the border between the living and the dead. Many of its American customs, like costumes and trick-or-treating, took shape much later.
Dziady has no costumes or candy. It’s closer to Mexico’s Día de Muertos in spirit: a family feast for the dead, with food, light and memory at the center. What all three share is the feeling that, as the year turns dark, the people we’ve lost come a little closer.
Mickiewicz and the poetry of Forefathers’ Eve
The name Dziady is famous in Poland mainly because of Adam Mickiewicz, the national poet. His poetic drama Dziady, usually translated as Forefathers’ Eve, opens with a village ritual in a chapel at night, where a guślarz, the leader of the rite, summons the souls of the dead one by one and offers them what they need to find peace. Parts II and IV were published in 1823 and Part III in 1832; the drama is still staged in Poland, and a 1968 production famously sparked student protests against censorship.
Through Mickiewicz, an old village custom became one of the central images of Polish culture: the living and the dead meeting for one night, each owing the other something.
A gentle Dziady ritual for today
You don’t need to believe in visiting spirits to borrow something from Dziady. On a quiet evening at the end of October, light a candle for someone you’ve lost. Set out a small dish of something they loved. Say their name out loud, tell one story about them, or write down what you’d tell them now. Then let the candle burn safely for a while as you think about what they gave you.
If grief feels heavy right now, please reach out to someone you trust. In the US and Canada you can call or text 988 at any time to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and in an emergency call 911. For more autumn traditions, see our Slavic divination hub and the wheel of the year.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dziady?
Dziady, meaning forefathers, is the old Slavic commemoration of the dead, held several times a year, most famously at the turn of October and November. Families prepared a supper for the ancestors, lit fires and kept quiet, respectful company with the dead.
Is Dziady the same as Halloween?
No, but they fall at the same time of year and share the idea that the dead come closer as the year turns dark. Dziady is a family remembrance feast without costumes, closer in spirit to Día de Muertos.
When is Dziady celebrated?
The autumn Dziady falls around October 31 to November 2. In Belarus the Saturday before November 2 is still known as Dzyady; in Poland the custom lives on in All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
What is Forefathers’ Eve?
The usual English title of Adam Mickiewicz’s poetic drama Dziady, published in parts in 1823 and 1832, which opens with a village ritual summoning the souls of the dead.