This week's challenge is Hallowe'en - how is Hallowe'en celebrated in your part of the world?
Well, I've never been in France for Hallowe'en before, but it's been abundantly clear over the last couple of weeks that they don't celebrate it at all - or not as we know it, anyway.
No witches or ghouls, no fireworks or bonfires, no peanuts or pumpkin carving (that's actually an Irish tradition, y'know, we used to carve turnips in bygone days). No kids in fancy dress, no goody bags, no scary skeleton decorations, no Hallowe'en party games like dunking for coins or apples.
None of that stuff. Instead of that, La Toussaint (All Saints Day) is a holy day and Public Holiday.
The quintessential symbol of this Holiday is the humble Chrysanthemum - so much so, that the big supermarket in Apt, LeClerc, has this announcement on the doors as you go in :
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| Arrival of the Chrysanthemums Your shop will be closed on Thurs Nov 1st |
Next Thursday, all of these bright displays will be placed on the graves of loved ones and people will pause a while to remember those they've lost.
Yes, it's different here.
Massive Faux Pas to avoid : If you're visiting a French person and want to bring flowers, don't ever, ever bring Chrystanthemums.
Cool post and welcome to Sunday Stills, great flower shots. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ed I've had flowers two weeks in a row now, I will have to "branch" out next week!
DeleteHow fun to see pictures from a different part of the world! I am an old Catholic gal so know about All Saints! I still cherish the tradition that all our loved ones that have passed on are honored and remembered.
ReplyDeleteHi Pix, yeah it's a nice tradition. My mother was saying that when she was a child, the churches in Dublin were decorated with Chrysanths for All Saints, too, and they had to visit seven churches on the day to pray for their departed.
DeleteLovely market. I love mums. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's an amazing market! It takes over the whole town every Saturday.
ReplyDeleteI like their versian better than ours....what lovely flowers....oh so pretty when compared to our dismal lack of color here.
ReplyDeleteI know, the colour would take the eyes out of your head!
DeleteFirst time here, first time seeing all this, I'm sure it's old hat to the French but I'm lovin' it.
What beautiful flowers, and so good of you to warn us against giving chrysantemums to the French.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, thanks for sharing the beautiful market flowers (and meaning)!!
ReplyDeleteheii thatz a beautiful post for halloween, at least one beautiful thoughts for halloween :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!! This is exactly what I'd hoped for :-D.
ReplyDeleteThanks everybody, it was a learning experience for me too!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of the flowers and thanks for the inside view of the culture. I much prefer the respect of All Saints Day by honoring past loved ones with flowers. I'm sure the cemeteries will be a beautiful sight.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was thinking of taking a stroll up to Villemus, our nearest village/cemetary to take a few snaps on Friday. Wait & see!
DeleteLovely photos. I like this version of Halloween, so much more meaningful then what ours has become. Thanks.
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