How to Celebrate All Saints Day in France
All Saints Day in France is part of a national holiday known as La Toussaint. La Toussaint is a two day festival during which the French celebrate two holidays together: All Saints Day, the day for remembering Catholic saints, and All Souls Day, the day for praying for the souls of the deceased.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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1
Visit the ruins of the Abbey of Cluny in Burgundy. The ancient monastery was home to St. Odilo, the fifth abbot of Cluny, to whom the chosen date of All Souls Day is attributed. All Souls Day is on November 2, the day after All Saints Day. It was St. Odilo's wish to follow Cluny's example by saying the Office of the Dead on the day following the feast of All Saints. The Office of the Dead is a liturgical prayer cycle said for the souls of the those in Purgatory.
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2
Take advantage of La Toussaint being a national holiday as well as a two week vacation for schoolchildren. Though it may be inconvenient to have stores, banks and services closed on All Saints Day, it's a good time to hold the family reunions that have become a customary part of All Saints Day.
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Attend church. There are services which celebrate the memory of glorified saints as well as more solemn services to offer up prayers for the souls of those who have not yet found their way. After Mass many French will visit the graveyard to pay respect to their loved ones. Gifts, flowers and wreaths of immortelles are left at gravesites as sign of honor.
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Tour one of the more famous of France's cemeteries, Pere Lachaise in Paris. The world renowned graveyard is the largest in Paris and is said to be the most visited cemetery in the world. As well as being host to three war memorials, Pere Lachaise is the burial grounds of hundreds of notable people from all around the globe. Here, amongst others, you can visit the graves of Moliere, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and Frederic Chopin.
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5
Fall prey to the practical jokes of children in the Brittany region of France. Legends in this region speak of evil coming to those who disturb the bones of the dead so children attempt to frighten visitors to graveyards on All Saints Day.
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Tips & Warnings
The easiest way to get to Pere Lachaise is to take the Metro. There is a station right at the cemetery.
