When I arrived at the cemetery at Torrskog Church, candles were burning on many of the graves. I saw Jonas, the cemetery gardener, wearing a black suit. I asked him what was going on today. He told me it was Alla helgons dag.
Literally, this means ‘All Saints’ Day’. In Sweden, this public holiday falls on the Saturday between 31 October and 6 November – this year on 31 October. Together with the following Sunday, Alla själars dag, All Souls’ Day, it forms a weekend of remembrance. Many people visit the graves of their loved ones, bring flowers and light candles.
In the church calendar, the focus is on the saints on Saturday and on deceased loved ones on Sunday. In living tradition, the two merge into one. Anyone from Germany will recognise elements familiar from All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and the Protestant Remembrance Sunday. In many parishes, ‘minnesgudstjänster’ – memorial services – form part of this weekend.
I’d brought the last of the flowers from our garden and placed them on Hajo’s grave. As I do on every visit, I lit a grave candle. There was still time before the service. I sat down in the VW bus and carried on writing Hajo’s book.
Meanwhile, the choir arrived for their final rehearsal. Little by little, the cemetery filled up. Visitors first went to the graves of their loved ones, lit candles and then entered the church. The individual visits gradually gave way to a communal gathering.
At 5 pm, just as it was getting dark, the service began with choral singing. The hymns spoke of farewells and a sense of security, of moving on and of the hope of meeting again. Their lyrics date from very different centuries.
‘De skall gå till den heliga staden’ means ‘They shall go to the holy city’. Britt G. Hallqvist wrote the lyrics in 1976, and Egil Hovland composed the melody in the same year; a fourth verse was added by Oscar Ahlén in 1984. The song draws on the biblical image of the heavenly Jerusalem. It tells of people coming together, remembering the green earth and being reunited with those who were lost. In it, the hope for another life remains linked to the memory of this one.
‘I himmelen, i himmelen’ – ‘In heaven, in heaven’ – dates back to 1622. The lyrics were written by Laurentius Laurinus and revised by Johan Åström in 1816. It describes heaven as a place of light, where pain and tears are no more. It is an ancient Christian concept of consolation: that suffering is not the end.
‘Herre, till dig får jag komma’ (‘Lord, I may come to you’) is much more recent. Christer Hultgren wrote both the lyrics and the music in 1973. The opening lines can be translated as: ‘Lord, I may come to you, just as I am.’ The subsequent verses speak of being able to lay down one’s burdens and of being accepted even at the end of one’s life.
‘Bliv kvar hos mig’ means ‘Stay with me’. It is based on the English hymn ‘Abide with Me’, written by Henry Francis Lyte in 1847. The well-known melody by William Henry Monk was composed in 1861, whilst the Swedish translation by Oscar Mannström dates from 1920. In this hymn, the falling evening serves as a metaphor for the end of life. At its heart lies a simple plea: stay with me when darkness falls and nothing else offers support.
And then ‘Härlig är jorden’ – ‘How Lovely is the Earth’. We also sing this hymn in my choir, Song of Joy. Bernhard Severin Ingemann wrote the original Danish text in 1850; Cecilia Bååth-Holmberg translated it into Swedish in 1884. The melody is also associated with the German hymn ‘Schönster Herr Jesu’. The lyrics describe life as a pilgrimage: times and generations pass, but the singing continues. In Sweden, the song is sung both at Christmas and at funerals – it combines the joy of life with the comfort found in saying farewell.
With these and other songs, the choir did a great deal to create a special atmosphere. Outside, candles glowed on the graves; inside, people gathered who were missing someone. I had driven to Hajo that day, as I often do. Now I sat in the church with others who had brought their own memories with them. One day, a candle will be lit here for me too, when I come to rest beside Hajo. What a comforting thought.
I’ve put together a few recordings here so you can get a feel for the atmosphere that evening.