With Poland’s cemeteries closed on All Saints’ Day this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, people around the country came forward to help flower sellers in a gesture of solidarity.
Every year, on 1 November, Poles mark All Saints’ Day by visiting cemeteries to light candles and lay flowers on the graves of their ancestors.
This year, to help contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the government decided to close cemeteries over All Saints’ Day weekend, from 31 October to 2 November.
In Kraków, some people still went to cemetery gates to buy flowers and candles from the sellers there, as a way of helping them financially.
This left flower sellers – who usually sell chrysanthemums for the 1 November holiday, which people lay on their relatives’ graves – in a tricky position.
However, people stepped in to help, with initiatives across the country.
In Warsaw, city authorities launched an initiative called “Kup pan chryzantemę”, which translates as “buy a chrysanthemum, sir”, urging people to buy flowers from flower sellers who had prepared for All Saint’s Day.
One flower grower put out her flowers – bunches of yellow chrysanthemums – on 31 October with a sign saying “for free” but most people insisted on paying.
Flower sellers were allowed to sell their goods in six designated popular locations around the city for free.
In Kraków, some people still went to cemetery gates to buy flowers and candles from the sellers there, as a way of helping them financially.
Other examples of people’s readiness to help include the story of a flower grower who put out her flowers – bunches of yellow chrysanthemums – on 31 October with a sign saying “for free” (with an optional donation to charity).
All of them went with most people insisting on paying for them.
In Warsaw, city authorities launched the buy a chrysanthemum” (Kup pan chryzantemę) initiative urging people to buy flowers from flower sellers who had prepared for All Saint’s Day.
Perhaps the grandest gesture was made by a businessman who bought all the flowers being sold outside the cemetery in the town of Łuków, in eastern Poland. He then gave them away to passersby.
Kind-hearted Dariusz Chornicki, who is the CEO of courier company EPAKA said: “I bought all the flowers in a gesture of solidarity and willingness to help people who lost their source of income, especially since my courier sector benefited from the pandemic.”
The Link LonkNovember 02, 2020 at 09:37PM
https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/flower-power-kind-hearted-poles-come-to-aid-of-flower-sellers-hit-by-all-saints-lockdown-17261
Flower power! Kind-hearted Poles come to aid of flower sellers hit by All Saints' lockdown - The First News
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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