As many of you know I am currently on a 10 day school vacation called Toussaint. This means “All Saints” in French and is for the Catholic holiday “All Saint’s Day” which is November 1st. In most of Europe this weekend is/was set aside for going to church and paying respects for the dead. Based on this long tradition there was no need for other celebrations...so, the idea of Halloween as Americans know it was only introduced to France in the late 90s. While the French had heard about Halloween from tourists, expats living in France, and teaching assistants (like moi!) they had never really experienced (or attempted to!) it until 1997. France Télécom (think AT&T), McDonald's, and Coca Cola incorporated pumpkins and other Halloween images in ads in an attempt to increase French people's knowledge about the holiday. This attempt however, seemed more like a huge serving of globalization, American-style. In the late 90s “trick or treating” existed for a bit but it was large groups of children going from store to store, not house to house, asking for candy. Many French people here didn’t understand what exactly the holiday celebrates which caused it to quickly fizzle out. I mean, we are talking about a country where you ALWAYS bring something to one’s house when you are invited (no matter who they are!) so the notion of strangers knocking on doors and then demanding candy….doesn’t really jive here. Sure there are a few signs of Halloween here (Halloween club promotions, pumpkin pictures on a few windows, etc) as the past attempts did have some lingering effects but there will certainly not be any trick or treaters in sight tonight, nor have there been for years now! It’s funny- the other day on the bus I overheard two girls trying to remember which day of the month Halloween was (the 29th, 30th, or 31st)…it just isn’t a big deal here! France, while secular, is very attached to its role as “the Catholic church’s eldest daughter” so the holidays and vacations here tend to be around Catholic days. For example, my teachers at the lycée told me that the time children dress up and have a quasi-similar Halloween experience in France is for Carnevale…which is before or around Mardi Gras to mark the coming of Lent and Easter. (See, all about the religious holidays!) Just the phrase alone “Happy Halloween” doesn’t work with the French language where H’s are silent and W’s almost non-existent!
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Word(s) of the Post: Farce ou friandise! -- Trick or treat!
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