October is here, the days are getting shorter, the leaves on the trees are changing colors and we are getting out the warm clothes. As the All Saints' Day vacation approaches, Halloween decorations are also popping up in stores across France. This pagan holiday, particularly popular in Anglo-Saxon countries, is less successful in France and in non-English speaking European countries. It still attracts a community of children, teenagers and young adults who are always delighted to dress up as scary characters, go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood and get together with family and friends to celebrate.
Reminder on the origins of Halloween in the world and in France
When we think of Halloween today, we think first of all of the great celebrations held in the United States, where the holiday is a highly anticipated moment in the calendar. Houses are decorated with their most beautiful spooky decorations, with spider webs, pumpkins, witches and other skeletons. On the evening of October 31, children dress up and ring the doorbells of their neighbors to collect candy and treats to the sound of "Trick or Treat". Although the holiday is celebrated to a lesser extent in Europe, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland, it should be noted that Halloween originated in the latter country!
It is indeed the Irish who migrated to the USA in the 19th century because of a major famine, and took with them their traditions of the festival of Samain, when in Celtic culture the kingdom of the dead joined that of the living. The people then put in place a whole ritual to avoid attracting the lightning of malevolent spirits. The Americans did not fail to take up this custom and transform it into the celebration we know today: Halloween night.
From the end of the Middle Ages until the 1950s in France, and more particularly in Finistère, children hollowed out beets and gave them a spooky look. They would place a candle inside and place them in front of houses, on low walls and on the edge of embankments to ward off evil spirits. This tradition has an echo in Moselle with the Rommelbootzennaat (night of the grimacing beets), a festival also originating from the Celtic mythology Samain and still celebrated on October 31 in our time.
From the 1950s in France, Halloween traditions continued on a small scale, mainly due to Americans living in the country. Then, the holiday became very successful in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Brands took advantage of a slightly slow time of year and the arrival of the All Saints' Day vacation to sell Halloween products. Since then, the craze has died down a bit. This can be explained by the fact that some people find the festival a little too gory and "bloody", but also by the fact that many people leave to join their families at this time of the year to celebrate All Saints' Day and flower the graves of the deceased. Despite this, and even if in a much less intense way than in the United States, Canada, Ireland or Scotland, some French people still celebrate Halloween. Everywhere, pumpkins, scary costumes and trick-or-treating are the order of the day on October 31.
How is Halloween celebrated in France?
November1st is All Saints' Day in France, a Catholic holiday. It is a public holiday and many people take advantage of it to get together with their families. They go to cemeteries to put flowers on the graves of their deceased and share a good meal. The day before, on October 31, families or groups of friends celebrate Halloween, which is a pagan holiday. Children dress up as witches, vampires or monsters and go around their neighborhoods ringing doorbells and stocking up on treats. In the days leading up to the event, parents and children can have fun decorating the house with pumpkins and other spooky items found in stores. You can also make them yourself! Before the Trick or Treat session, it is also common to share a special meal. There are lots of little recipes that everyone can make together that will give everyone the creeps. It's a lot of fun. In the cities, many pubs and bars enjoy celebrating Halloween. They offer their customers to come in disguise and organize concerts or play music for dancing. The streets are always very lively on Halloween night. Among students, Halloween is also a good excuse to organize private parties, to dress up and party until the end of the night.
Finally, in France, many monuments and amusement parks offer special events for Halloween. These programs allow you to have a really nice time with your family and friends. For example, the Disneyland Paris park lives to the sounds and visuals of the Disney Halloween festival, with frightfully fun attractions and encounters with evil characters. At the Château du Rivau in Indre-et-Loire, children can participate in trick-or-treating. The best thing is to come in disguise and you can even have your face painted on the spot. At the Parc Astérix, haunted houses and other unusual characters are part of the tour. Why not join Vulcania during the All Saints' Day vacations? The famous park in Puy-de-Dôme offers special decors and animations around the dragon!
There is plenty to do in France to celebrate Halloween. And for those who want to keep it simple, why not have a good horror movie night with your friends!
