I admit that I know little about Memorial Day or Labor Day, but at least I know what to expect (not much). Figuring out the significance of holidays in foreign countries is a lot more complicated.

I spent Halloween in Krakow, Poland. There, locals celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day instead.

The city was clearly divided between shops catering to either foreign tourists or to locals.

Many stores sold flowers and glass candles to put on the gravestones of deceased Polish loved ones. A strong minority had Halloween bat posters, pumpkins out front, and masks in the windows.

Unfortunately, I did not feel safe enough to walk alone to the glowing cemeteries at night, and it was a new friend’s 21st birthday, so I joined the group who went looking for Halloween.

As we walked, we saw a few people dressed as vampires and one Superman.

Pumpkins were lit on store doorsteps. One group of people carried their own jack o' lantern, but they were wearing swine flu masks instead of costumes. They also did not speak English.

We finally settled for the Indigo Bar in the tourist center. It was empty except for a few Irishmen and some bachelors in matching “Italian Stallion” T-shirts. There were orange streamers with pumpkins hanging over the bar, and the Rammstein music was eerie.

But even with these usual Halloween symbols, the spirit was missing. A lot of Central Europeans I talked to know something about American holidays but do not understand them.

Similarly, I had only Wikipedia knowledge of All Saints Day, even though my ancestors are Polish Catholics.

Therefore I was not totally surprised by the large crowds of Poles buying grave decorations and lining up by cemeteries outside the tour bus window, but I missed the true experience.

The cultural gap has been even wider with the national political holidays I had never even heard of before.

I still have no idea how most Czechs celebrate Independent Czechoslovak State Day on Oct. 28 because most of them go to the country or stay inside.

I stayed inside, too, after I realized the gathering with a loud-speaker outside my apartment was actually a neo-Nazi demonstration.

When I was in Budapest, there were similar political riots that built on the meaning of their national holiday on the anniversary of political revolution.

I never would have expected these reactions to the dates on the calendars. I could not even tell what the people were rioting about because of the language and context barriers.

I can only expect more surprises from Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day next week in November.

katiebeebooms@yahoo.com