What happens on All Saints’ Day in France, the French version of ‘Day of the Dead’?

One of the things I love about living in France is discovering all the celebrated French traditions. This country has so much history, along with centuries-old traditions. 

In some cases, those traditions have lost their meaning and are just things the French do because their parents did before them.

Since I didn’t know much about the official holiday of All Saints’ Day in France, I asked my neighbor, Claude, to tell me more.

Listen To My Podcast Episode About Halloween in France and All Saints Day

What is All Saints’ Day in France?

All Saints’ Day, or La Toussaint, is celebrated every year on November 1st. It is a public holiday in France to honor and pay respects to the saints and their deceased loved ones. 

According to Claud, it all begins at sundown the day before All Hallows Eve (Halloween).

Many French people will visit cemeteries to place flowers, especially chrysanthemums, on the graves of departed family members. 

The day is supposed to serve as a reminder of the enduring connections between the living and the dead. And the role of saints as intercessors and role models in the Christian tradition.

What is All Saints’ Day called in France?

In French, it’s known as La Toussaint, or la fête de la Toussaint.

All Saints’ Day’s origins are traced back to the early Christian church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. The practice of honoring all saints dates back to the 4th century. 

Churches dedicated a day to celebrate martyrs who had no specific day of remembrance. 

By the 7th century, under Pope Boniface IV, the Pantheon in Rome was consecrated as a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs.

In 837, Pope Gregory IV officially designated November 1st as All Saints’ Day, ensuring its observance throughout the Western Christian world. 

The choice of November 1st may have been influenced by the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer.

The festival was believed to be when the boundary between the living and the dead blurred.

What about the origin of the first Toussaint celebration in France?

While the day was initially meant to honor recognized saints, the French soon began using it to remember all departed souls.

It stopped being about the canonized saints and ordinary people who had passed on.

By the Middle Ages, it became customary for French families to visit cemeteries and churches, light candles, and offer prayers for their deceased loved ones.

What is the significance of chrysanthemums on All Saints’ Day in France?

Today, All Saints’ Day in France is a public holiday, and cemeteries across the country are filled with families placing flowers, especially chrysanthemums, on the graves of their departed loved ones. 

In French culture, the chrysanthemum (La chrysanthème) is a symbol of death and mourning, and one of the few flowers to bloom in Autumn.

In November, they are everywhere in the garden centers and shops in France, and approximately 25 million potted chrysanthemums are placed on graves on All Saints’ Day.

They became popular at the end of the First World War, probably because they were in bloom and extremely durable. They were used during the first anniversary commemorations held in November to remember the fallen.

Claud, my neighbor, also told me that you should never give chrysanthemums as a gift because, in his words, “the flower of the dead.” And it would be offensive to whoever I was giving them to. 

So, I’ve written that down in my notebook of things I shouldn’t do, or say, for that matter, and trust me, the list is getting longer by the day.

The potato harvest time and All Saints’ Day

The time around All Saints’ Day coincides with the potato harvest, and families used to work together to bring in the crop. It was all hands on deck, meaning the children were missing school to help harvest the potatoes.

So to prevent them from missing school, the French Government created the two-week potato holidays, which fall around the last week of October and the first week of November.

Now known as Toussaint holidays, they still happen for French pupils today.

Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day

What do these three days have in common? They follow each other, and it all starts on October 31st with Halloween.

France doesn’t celebrate Halloween in the same way as in the United States or the UK, but it is becoming more popular.

As we know, All Saints’ Day is celebrated on November 1st and is a public holiday in France. But what about All Souls’ Day, which falls on November 2nd?

Okay, so, while All Saints’ Day is dedicated to all the saints, All Souls’ Day specifically commemorates the faithfully departed – souls believed to be in purgatory, undergoing purification before they can enter heaven.

Known as “Le Jour des Morts” (Day of the Dead), it is about promoting the living’s communal responsibility to assist those who have passed on in their spiritual journey.

The belief was that prayers, especially the offering of the Mass, would assist souls in their purification process in purgatory, supposedly hastening their journey to heaven.

What happens on All Saints’ Day in France?

As it is a public holiday, shops are closed, and it’s a time for families and close friends to come together to remember their loved ones and visit their family graves.

Often, the whole family goes to the cemetery together to clean and decorate the graves of their deceased relatives.

In France, it’s the family’s responsibility to look after graves. And if you’ve ever been to a French cemetery, you’ll know that the graves are often mausoleums rather than tombs. I always used to think of them as little houses.

Many French people attend an All Saints Mass or special church services dedicated to Catholic saints. Churches ring their bells, candles are lit, and prayers are offered.

In many towns and villages, public ceremonies are held to honor deceased community members.

This might include processions, laying of wreaths, or other acts of collective remembrance.

What to do on All Saints’ Day in Paris?

If you happen to be in Paris on All Saints’ Day, there are a couple of things you can do to mark the day, including some fantastic ghost tours.

Final Thoughts: All Saints’ Day in France

As a predominantly Catholic country, many religious festivals and celebrations date back hundreds of years. All Saints’ Day is a holy day of obligation held on the first of November every year.

It’s a chance to honor and remember the dead and visit the graves of those near and dear.