Poles commemorate All Saints’ Day at graves of fishermen in Fossvogskirkjugarður, Iceland

Many Poles gathered at the graves of fishermen in Fossvogskirkjugarður, Iceland, to commemorate All Saints’ Day, a significant holiday in Poland honoring deceased loved ones. Every year, members of the Polish community come together to pay tribute to the crew members of the Polish ship SS Wigry, which sank off the coast of Iceland on January 15, 1942. Of the 27 crew members, only two survived, one being Polish and the other Icelandic.

Witold Bogdański, the chairman of the Polish Association in Iceland, has been organizing this annual gathering since 1980. He discovered the gravesite early on and began lighting candles each year along with a few other Poles residing in Iceland at that time. As the group grew, the ceremony became official after the opening of the Polish Embassy in 2013.

During the recent event, students from two Polish schools held a brief ceremony, and Father Piotr Majtyka, a priest from the Catholic Church in Reykjavik, led attendees in prayer. The gathering provided a space for reflection, drawing many participants who came to honor their relatives.

Maciej Duszyński, the acting Polish ambassador in Iceland, noted the significance of such communal gatherings, stating they help Polish individuals in Iceland feel a connection to their homeland. He expressed the importance of this event for Poles worldwide, as it offers an opportunity for quiet contemplation and remembrance amidst candles and flowers at the graves.