1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Poland: This is Dziady — Night of the Ghosts

04:10

This browser does not support the video element.

November 27, 2025

In Olsztyn, a city in northeastern Poland, the ancient Slavic ritual of Dziady is still alive and well. It is marked by the Night of the Ghosts: a dark, mystical festival that really has to be experienced live.

Move over Halloween! It's time for Dziady, a Slavic tradition that dates back to pagan, pre-Christian times.

Dziady, or Forefathers' Eve, was once a mystical communion between the living and the dead. Today, it is celebrated in different ways and on different days across Poland.  

Dziady is often associated with Adam Mickiewicz's 19th-century romantic poetic drama of the same name, which is why Dziady is often marked with the performance of plays.

But one group of people in the city of Olsztyn in northeastern Poland decided to give Dziady a new lease of life and created the Night of the Ghosts Festival in 2024. It is now the biggest celebration of Dziady in Poland.

DW went to the 2025 edition in mid-November to see what it's all about.
 

Skip next section DW's Top Story

DW's Top Story

Skip next section More stories from DW