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Here's an article about La Toussaint Traditions:

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Here's an article about La Toussaint Traditions:

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What is La Toussaint? Learn the French traditions of All Saints' Day in France, both a Catholic holiday and an important day for families, and practice your French with this bilingual easy story and video.

Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Mandy et j'habite à Perth, en Australie. Cet automne, je suis allée faire trois séjours en immersion en France d'affilée avec les professeurs de French Today, et j'ai beaucoup amélioré mon français ! J'ai eu la chance de passer la fête de la Toussaint chez Pierre, dans le Lot-et-Garonne, et donc d'explorer un peu la culture française liée à cette fête.

Use the floating blue icon in the bottom right to hide/reveal the English translations below.

Hi! My name is Many and I live in Perth, in Australia. This autumn, I went for three French immersion homestays in France in a row with French Today's teachers, and I've improved my French a lot! I was lucky to spend All Saints Day at Pierre's, in the Lot-et-Garonne region, and therefore to explore the French culture associated with this holiday.

1 - What is "La Toussaint"?

La Toussaint est un jour où l'on se réunit chaque 1er Novembre pour honorer la mémoire des morts, c'est une fête avant tout familiale.

All Saints Day is celebrated each year on November 1st and is a day on which the french reunite with their families to honor the memory of the dead, it is above all a day about family.

Les Français visitent, nettoient, fleurissent et les tombes de leurs ancêtres et y placent des bougies, d'habitude des chrysanthèmes et des cyclamens. Beaucoup de tombes sont également ornées de petites plaques qui exprimer des souhaits, comme : "Tu seras toujours là pour nous. Aucun jour ne passe sans que nous pensions à toi".

The French visit, clean and place flowers and candles on the graves of their ancestors, usually chrysanthemums and marigolds. Many of the graves are also adorned with small plaques expressing wishes, like: "You will always be there for us. Not a day passes without us thinking of you."

2 - Origins of La Toussaint in France

La Toussaint est à l'origine une fête catholique, célébrant tous les saints, elle est fêtée le 1er novembre depuis le VIII siècle. Pendant le XIème siècle, une autre fête a été établie le 2 Novembre, la Fête de tous les Morts.

All Saints day originated as a catholic holiday to honour saints and has been celebrated on November 1st since the 8th century. In the 11th century, another celebration became established on November 2nd, called the Day of the Dead.

Pour les Français, la différence entre les deux jours a toujours été floue, c'est pourquoi beaucoup de français considèrent encore la Toussaint comme un jour pour les morts et non les saints. Et puis maintenant, Halloween est une fête de plus en plus célébrée en France !

For the French the difference between these 2 days has always been blurry, which is why many French people still consider all saints day to be a day of the dead and not the saints. And now, Halloween in France is becoming a more popular holiday!

3 - Le Pont de La Toussaint

Cette année, la Toussaint tombait un jeudi, ce qui signifie une nouvelle sensationnelle pour les français. Pour la plupart des gens cela veut dire que l'on prend vendredi pour faire le pont de la Toussaint.

This year, All Saint's Day was on a Thursday, which is good news for the French! For most, it means they are able to take Friday off, using a day of their annual leave, and have an extra long weekend.

En France les jours fériés sont célébrés dans la journée de la semaine sur lequel ils tombent, donc si un tombe sur le week-end, le français ne peux avoir un autre jour de congé, il le rate !

In France public holidays are celebrated on the day of the week on which they fall, so if one falls on a weekend, they don't get an extra day off, they just miss out !

4 - Finding a Restaurant Around All Saints Day in France

C'était le dimanche après la Toussaint, et Pierre avait proposé de m'emmener au marché de Pujols pour pratiquer mon français avec lui, tout en découvrant la culture française.

It was the Sunday after All Saint's Day, and Pierre had offered to take me to Pujols' market to practice my French with him, while discovering French culture.

Après avoir regardé les étals du marché, on a décidé de déjeuner avant de se promener dans le reste du village. La chance n'était pas de notre côté, les trois restaurants étaient complets. Comme c'était le week-end de la Toussaint, beaucoup de monde était sorti pour le déjeuner.

After a look around the stalls we decided to have some lunch before walking around the rest of the village. Luck was not on our side, all three restaurants were completely full. Being the weekend after All Saints Day, everybody was out and about for lunch.

Du coup, sur le conseil d'un des restaurateurs, on a décidé d'aller déjeuner dans un autre village des environs et de retourner visiter Pujols après de repas de midi. On a atterri dans un village médiéval appelé Penne d'Agenais.

As a result, on the advice of one of the restaurant staff, we decided to go and have some lunch in another nearby village and return to Pujols to look around after lunch. We ended up in a medieval village called Penne d'Agenais.

Une fois encore, le restaurant était complètement réservé. Alors, c'est devenu une vraie chasse pour trouver un endroit où manger ! Les deux restaurants suivants étaient aussi complets.

Once again the restaurant was completely booked out. It then became a real hunt for a place to eat! the next 2 restaurants we tried were also completely booked out.

Ensuite, on a essayé le café, mais il était également complet. Cette fois la serveuse a suggéré de repasser 45 minutes plus tard, ce qu'on a fait, et on a enfin pu déjeuner ! Le repas était délicieux : Pierre a pris le saumon et moi le confit de canard. Ça valait la peine d'attendre !

Next, we tried the cafe, but that was also full, this time the waitress suggested we pop back in and check in 45 minutes, which we did, and we were finally able have lunch! The meal was delicious: Pierre chose the salmon, while I chose the confit duck. It was worth the wait!

Ce jour restera un jour très spécial pour moi : non seulement j'ai appris des tas de choses sur la Toussaint en France, mais c'était très émouvant de voir toutes les tombes couvertes de fleurs, et les famille françaises réunies dans les restaurants. La France est vraiment un pays où l'on respecte encore les traditions. Ça fait chaud au coeur.

That day will remain a very special day for me: not only did I learn a lot about All Saints' Day in France, but it was quite moving to see all the tombs covered with flowers, and the French families gathered in the restaurants. France is truly a country where traditions are still respected. It warmed my heart.

5 - La Toussaint in France - Video

Bonjour! I'm Camille and I shot this video about "La Toussaint" in France. I hope you'll like it! You can turn the CC in French and English on if you'd like.

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What is La Toussaint? Learn the French traditions of All Saints' Day in France, both a Catholic holiday and an important day for families, and practice your French with this bilingual easy story and video. Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Mandy et j'habite à Perth, en Australie.

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Here's a short video about the history and traditions of La Toussaint:

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Here's a short video about the history and traditions of La Toussaint:

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Learn French Holidays - All Saints' Day - Toussaint

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http://www.FrenchPod101.com/video Learn more about French culture with FrenchPod101.com! Ever wondered what the most important French holidays are, and how they are celebrated? Then this 25-lesson video series is for you! With this series, you'll learn the what, why, when and how of 25 well-known holidays in French.

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"Toussaint" is the contraction of "Tous les Saints." In English, this means "All the Saints."

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People visiting graves and leaving flowers

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For La Toussaint, people visit the graves of dead family members. They clean the graves and place fresh flowers. The most abundant of these flowers are chrysanthemums. Also known as mums or chrysanths, these blooms are native to Asia and Northeastern Europe. While seen as a common Mother's Day gift in other countries, in France, they symbolize death.

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Disneyland in the spirit of Halloween with autumn decorations

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What does Halloween look like in France for the few who celebrate?

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What does Halloween look like in France for the few who celebrate?

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Those who opt to get in costume for the holiday are probably going to pick something scary rather than comical. It is more likely to see a zombie or skeleton on Halloween than a superhero or princess. And of course, Disneyland Paris likes to use the holiday to their advantage. They host an annual Halloween festival that lasts nearly the whole month of October. For those used to an American Halloween, Disneyland is where the holiday will feel most familiar.

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What is celebrated in France instead of Halloween?

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What is celebrated in France instead of Halloween?

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The day after Halloween is known as La Toussaint (All Saints' Day). This is a national public holiday, so most do not go to work and kids get the day off from school. The day is a religious Catholic holiday dedicated to honoring saints and remembering beloved dead relatives.

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Here's a video detailing why Halloween isn't really celebrated in France:

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Here's a video detailing why Halloween isn't really celebrated in France:

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Halloween is not a traditionally French holiday, so it is mostly viewed as commercial and an opportunity for stores to capitalize on traditions like carving pumpkins. While some kids may participate in trick-or-treating to get candy, it's not very common and seeing kids in costumes knocking on doors is not the norm on Halloween.