"A land of roadside crosses" Sejny Local Custom Tip by evaanna

The Land of Sejny abounds in crosses, which can be found everywhere: in villages, in front of private houses, in the forest but especially at crossroads. The crosses in this part of Poland are often Lithuanian-style, with the carved figure of Christ Crucified and beams of light radiating from it, while in central Poland most of them would be simple and without any ornaments.
In the past crosses were put up by sinners to show penitence for their sins but they were also put up in thanksgiving for a son, a happy marriage, recovering from an illness or to mark the day of the death of a family member. And the local people will not pass them without at least bowing their heads, making the sign of a cross (women) or raising their hats or caps to them (men).
The crosses in the pictures stand at crossroads near Gawieniance (see my off-the-beaten-path tip) but we came across many many more elsewhere too.