Down below my window, a band of children are chanting “Fous le camp! Fous le camp!” with the snaps of firecrackers to punctuate their disenchantment. Get the h*ll out of here, indeed. Earlier, an older group of adolescents let out several rounds of a brouhaaaahaaa howl that ended up sounding more like a Ho Ho Ho from Santa. You see, Halloween doesn’t come easily to the French. It isn’t their holiday.
For here, it is not tonight that matters but tomorrow, La Toussaint, which is both All Saint’s Day…
…and All Soul’s Day. So while there are special services in the Catholic churches, it is also one of the most important days of the year for families to come together. They will honor those that have come before them…
…and as chrysanthemums are at their fullest, they are the traditional flowers to take to the cemetery, where the plots will be cleaned and prayers said. It is a solemn moment, devoid of the bright vivacity of Dia de los Muertos. Over the past few days, I have seen the streets fuller than usual with family members walking and whispering, weighed by what is said and unsaid. The sky has been blue with black clouds lowering, giving my stomach a bit of a twist save for that early evening when I went to the Arena with Ben to watch the full moon rise and rise until my fingers were numb with the cold. I always feel something unnameable during this time, whether it is the ancestors passing down or just a sense of collective reflection, I don’t know.
Well, it looks as if I spoke too soon as my post was to end there. But amidst my concentrated typing, click click click, the burrr of our buzzer gave me a start and produced a sharp bark from Ben. I discerned giggles of anticipation in the street. Luckily, Remi and I had just returned from the grocery store, where at the last moment, I had grabbed a package of a certain American candy bar, something in me hoping…”just in case.” You see, Halloween has always been one of my very favorite holidays, one where anyone and everyone is entirely encouraged to think outside the box, to be creative to let their freak flag fly.
I must say I was underwhelmed with the costume effort. Some plastic capes, an ersatz wig–but was that ever the point? And no, it is not their holiday but perhaps they are trying to make it so. For one of the polite little witches promptly handed me an envelope while I was giving out the goods. “C’est pour vous,” she said simply. And then they were gone.
Happy Halloween to those of you that are celebrating. And more importantly, continued good wishes of strength and support to all that have been touched by Hurricane Sandy’s passing. Thank you so very much to those that reassured me of your well-being during the past 24 hours, it is much appreciated.
Your photos are delightfully creepy!
Not a single trick-or-treater around these parts, but in fairness, it rained buckets all day, so I'm giving Les Villagers a pass on this year, but next year, they better bring it!
That completely makes sense to me too! Although I shudder to think what would happen here if we did have a Guy Fawkes type of night in France–they might get carried away and really start a revolution!! :O
Heather you have summed up Halloween and La Toussaint beautifully, I never really got the trick or treat thing as it was not really around in the UK when I was young instead we had something called 'Mischief Night' which we celebrated on November 4th the night before Guy Fawkes night.
A few years ago some friends organised a Guy Fawkes night and invited all the local French to come along, they were also instructed to make a Guy for the bonfire and we had a best Guy competition, the local French really went to town and some of the Guys were works of art, they were a bit perplexed at first when they realised the Guys were really going to be burnt! But they soon got into the spirit especially when they learnt the history of the custom! They loved it! Asked if we could do it every year. I think Guy Fawkes night captured the revolutionary spirit of the French perfectly.
No Ann Mah, YOU were too much cuteness when you were 5 in your Holly Hobby outfit!!
Oh, Heather, that little envelope with the hand-drawn ghosts is adorable! And the "Happy Halloween" in French school-kid handwriting — too much cuteness!
Loved the photos and your description of Halloween there. You captured the feeling of eerie most certainly. I noticed several candy shops in Venice had decorated their windows with Halloween items and wondered if that was for the benefit of tourists or if somewhere on the 31st there would be a little goblin and ghoul lurking in the shadows along those dark canals seeking treats and threatening tricks. . .
xo
j
Thank you but I can't take any credit–it honestly has been that spooky here!!
And I have to admit that I was initially on the lookout for Reese's peanut butter cups…as I really doubted anyone would stop by…
Now you have peaked my curiosity…what is your favorite I wonder?
Oh, I hope whoever scooped up those candies appreciated them! How generous of you and how unsurprising that is to me.
As for your questions, I think that "Fous le camp" can mean either depending who is saying it and how–it certainly isn't a polite thing to say, either. And I have no idea what the kids were given at other homes but they did seem rather blown away by my full-size Snickers bars!! I know, NOT a good American influence but it was Haaaallloooweeeennn! 🙂