Often considered synonymous with the first of November, “la
Toussaint” is in fact a two-day celebration of two related
holidays. The name is an abbreviation of la fête de Toussaint
(Toussaint’s holiday). The word Toussaint is a contraction of
tous (all) and saint. The first of November is All Saints’ Day.
This Catholic holiday is a public holiday in France. Families
come together and usually go to the cemetery to honor their
deceased relatives and put chrysanthemums on their graves. In
France, this is pretty much the only time of year that you see
this flower, because it’s associated with death here – people
never give them as gifts. The next day is All Souls’ Day. In
many countries, this is the day that people are supposed to go
to the cemetery. But since November 2 isn’t a public holiday,
the French tend to go the day before. Far away from its previous
religious meaning, la Toussaint marks the mid-term 10-day-break
in France in schools and colleges. Most families take advantage
of this break to travel aroun