Adam Mickiewicz : A Soul's Dialogue

The ceremony of "Dziady" described by Mickiewicz is a very poetic vision in which villagers are talking directly to the souls. Such ceremony could not take place in a real life. But many parts of the ceremony base on real tradition. For instance in the past the villagers were gathering together, they were sharing food with the descendent members of the community, they were remembering them and praying for them. It is also true that they believed that some magic words and spells could help the souls.

The most exceptional of Poland's Romantics - a poet, columnist, political activist, and visionary. Born in 1798; deceased in 1855,Mickiewicz was born in Nowogrodek in Lithuania and always thought of this country as his homeland. He studied at Vilnius University and went on to teach at the provincial school in Kaunus. He was among the founders of the secret and patriotic Towarzystwo Filomatow / Philomaths' Society. An active member of the organization, he was arrested with a group of friends and imprisoned in the Basilian Monastery in Vilnius (1823-1824). He spent the years between 1824 and 1829 in central Russia, specifically in Odessa, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, becoming a member of elite progressive circles of the Russian intelligentsia. In 1829 he embarked on a grand tour of Europe, visiting Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. He attended the lectures of Hegel in Berlin and made numerous contacts within the international artistic community throughout areas as he visited. http://www.culture.pl/en/culture/archiwum