FÊTE DE LA TOUSSAINT

People come to honor their dead with the utmost respect, but in a very different atmosphere from that in France: street vendors are set up in the parking lot, and people eat and drink in honor of the departed. For the occasion, the graves are cleaned, repainted, decorated with flowers and candles. All the cemeteries light up at dusk. The most famous is Morne-à-l'Eau, in northern Grande-Terre. The cemetery is laid out in staircases, with vaults covered in black and white checkerboards. November 2 is a public holiday in Guadeloupe.