Halloween traditionally wasn’t celebrated in France and has only been exported to France is recent years from American traditions. You don't normally see children going around doing trick-or-treat in the streets of Paris or provincial France that much.

Rather, some friends would hold small Halloween parties and bars could have Halloween-themed nights. (Many people in France would indeed not enjoy being disturbed at night by children yelling, “frisandes ou bêtises”, the French equivalent of trick-or-treat, because it hasn’t yet entered French culture).

However, a national holiday that is very much observed by the French is related to Halloween and celebrated the following day (November 1). La Toussaint, meaning All Saints’ Day, is a Catholic holiday and schools and banks are typically closed in commemoration of the holiday. La Toussaint is a day that commemorates people who have passed.

Traditionally, November 1 (All Saints’ Day) would honour public figures who had died while November 2 (All Souls’ Day) would honour close friends and relatives who had passed. However, because La Toussaint is a day off, families traditionally combine these days of remembrance into one.

Typically, La Toussaint is commemorated by bringing flowers, most commonly chrysanthemums, to the graves of lost loved ones. Religiously observant people might attend a special church service or light a candle in honour of a loved one who is no longer with them. Walking around the streets of France, you can usually see chrysanthemums being sold in stores, florist shops, and out as decoration.

The tradition of laying chrysanthemums on graves for All Saints’ Day began following World War I, when the president requested on the first anniversary of the end of the war that soldiers who had died fighting for the country be commemorated by laying flowers on their graves. Chrysanthemums were the only flowers available at that time of year and so became part of the tradition.

If you’d prefer to celebrate Halloween rather than just La Toussaint, however, you can find some good celebrations in large cities, like Paris, in American bars or diners. Halloween parties can be advertised in English-language magazines such as Fusac.

However, the city that has most adopted Halloween traditions is not Paris, but Limoges. Limoges has hosted Halloween parades every year since 1996 and it is supposedly a sight to see!

Happy Halloween for the kids and Happy All Saints Day for the family!

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

Have a Hair-Raising (ébouriffant) Halloween!

It may be fair to say that in France 'Holloween' seems to be 'in the shops' and celebrated more so than in the UK but no where near as commercial as it is in the USA. Back in the late 90s I had almost forgotten about Holloween, not having children of a certain age but moving to France it struck me that all the local boulangieries and supermarkets would make grand displays of all their Holloween related goodies.

Even the smallest village shop will make an effort and if you are lucky you will even see a candle or torch lead procession in villages or towns where all the children [and parents] walk around the commune singing and celebrating. The following day is whay you have seen magnificaent Chrysanthemums for sale everywhere, All Saints Day on the 1st of November is when families remember loved ones that have passed away and visit to leave the fantastic plants and pay their respects.

If you are going to France on a viewing trip with Cle France over this period watch out for these things and let us know what you thought.

“Hair-raising” is a great adjective in English.

It’s descriptive and makes you understand exactly what it conveys… a fright that makes your hair stand up on end.

Some dictionaries offer “terrifiant(e)” as the French translation of “hair-raising”.

Another translation, and perhaps one that is more accurate, is “ébouriffant(e)”.

Neither of these words, however, are as descriptive as the original English word (this is one of the reasons why translations are so difficult!).

Take time and stop to see a great display even in a local village Boulangerie.

But there is an expression in French that more accurately conveys this English adjective: “faire dresser les cheveux sur la tête” means something that makes your hair stand up on end. It can also mean “to bristle,” which provides similar imagery, but conveys less a sense of fright than a sense of disgust or anger.

For example, you could say: “J’ai ecouté un chanteur hier soir. C’était une experience à vous faire dresser les cheveux sur la tête!” (I heard a singer last night. It was a hair-raising experience!). This could mean that the singer was so bad that it made this listener’s hair stand up on end.

Another word that could accurately translate “hair-raising” is the more familiar “horripiler”. This verb literally means to “bristle hairs” and usually conveys the sense that someone is incredibly annoyed by someone else’s actions. For example, you could say: “Tu m’horripiles quand tu fais ce bruit-là!” (You really annoy me/make me bristle when you make those noises!). The adjective form is “horripilant.”

Finally, another expression you could use is “hérisser le poil” This means exactly the same thing as “horripiler” except it is a more standard expression. “Hérisser” means to bristle or to ruffle. “Le poil” means “a hair”.

Normally, if you want to talk about the hair on your head, for example, you would say either “les cheveux” or “les poils” — notice how both are plural (unless you are referring to one single hair, the French refer to hair in general in the plural). Thus, “hérisser le poil” literally means “to bristle a hair.”

Once again, this is not normally used to mean that something scares you, but rather that something is really annoying or disgusting. For example, you could say: “Ça me hérisse le poil” which means “it really gets on my nerves.”

Ok, so we’ve gotten off the original meaning of “hair-raising” so just go ahead and have a hair-raising Halloween!

Passez un Halloween ébouriffant!

Happy Halloween!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

Everyone knows a few but each day has a Saint and some have more than one!

After our article on St Valentines Day we thought we would take a deeper look at Saints Days in France. St Valentines Day may be the best example of where commercialism takes over what were once serious religious traditions and turns them into money-spinning opportunities. The French practice of celebrating one's "saint's day" is no exception although it is becoming less common, as people have more choice in naming their children.

The Catholic church once dictated the country's customs and this is where the tradition originated, even so far as providing a catalogue of acceptable Christian names. Of course, this practice was not restricted to France, but was common in all catholic countries. However, France is one country where the celebration of one's saint's day still persists albeit it is in decline.

In the past a French child would be given the name of the saint on whose day their own birth fell. Of course, people want not only originality but choice and so it became more common for the saint's name to be given as a second or middle name. This meant that a child would have two special days to celebrate where previously it would have been only one. 

Over the years, the tradition has evolved in France, as in most other European Catholic countries, for people to have a "name day" as well as a birthday. So for example, if you were born on July 29th which is St. Marthe's Day, but your parents hated the name Marthe or Martha and preferred to call you Terese, you would still obviously celebrate your birthday on July 29th, but your "name day" would be on August 9th, which is St. Terese's Day.

Almost every day in the calendar has a saint's name assigned to it, some have more than one (January 6 having five), so parents with a child born on January 6th could not really complain about a lack of choice compared to other days! These "saint's days" are still celebrated but are usually more low key than actual birthdays.

It's not only individuals who celebrate a saint's day. Towns and villages usually have a dedicated saint and special events are held in commemoration each year, while certain professions are linked to a particular saint and those working in that industry may mark that day in some way. Quite often the Bar in a small village will be named after the saint adopted it "Bar Saint Medard" (June 8th is Saint Medard Day) and either on that day or the following weekend the village will hold an annual Fete with celebrations running 48 hrs over the weekend.

In essence nowadays, when people are generally less religious than before, the "name day" tradition is just a nice excuse to have another day for gifts and fun, and has no more relevance than that. In France, they are not usually big gifts, more flowers or chocolates as a token. So next time you are due to go on a property viewing trip to France, check with the Catholic Calendar and see whether your name coincides with a Saints' name day during your trip. It will be another chance to celebrate especially if you find your dream home as well!

Blog submitted by: David at Cle France.

We at Cle France are still working ergh! but... Happy Bastille Day to everyone!

What do people do on Bastille day?

Many people attend large-scale public celebrations. These often include:

Military and civilian parades.

Musical performances.

Communal meals.

Dances.

Balls.

Spectacular fireworks displays.

There is a large military parade in Paris in the morning of July 14. Service men and women from various units, including cadets from military schools, the French Navy and the French Foreign Legion, participate in the parade. The parade ends with the Paris Fire Brigade. Military aircraft fly over the parade route during the parade. The French president opens the parade and reviews the troops and thousands of people line the route. Other people spend the day quietly and eat a celebratory meal or picnic with family and close friends.

Some Helpful french phrases.

Cette semaine on fête le 14 juillet ou la fête nationale or Bastille Day as it’s known in English speaking countries. Le 14 juillet is something like la version française (the French version) of the fourth of July.

Pendant le 14 juillet there are a few big celebrations: le défilé militaire (the military parade) during the day and then at night les spectacle de feux d’artifice (the fireworks shows). However, cette semaine (this week) I learned something about les feux d’artifice that I didn’t know before.

Au 13 juillet, while at home I suddenly heard the loud bangs des feux d’artifice going off in the distance. I thought I’d missed le spectacle!

It turns out that les spectacles de feux d’artifice are spread out over a few days. Smaller towns have their spectacles earlier so that everyone is sure to come to the bigger cities during la fête nationale.

One other way to fêter (celebrate) is, bien sûr, to have a good time avec tes amis (with your friends). Just be careful, if you have too much fun you might wake up the next day with la gueule de bois (a hangover)!

Voici un petit vocabulaire de feux d’artifice :

Black snake - Pharaoh’s serpent le serpent du pharaon

Bottle - rocket la fusée

Firecracker - le pétard

Firework - le feu d’artifice

Fireworks show - le spectacle de feux d’artifice

Fountain - la fontaine

Roman candle - la chandelle romaine

Sparkler - le cierge magique

Public life

Bastille Day is a public holiday in France so post offices, banks, and many businesses are closed. Restaurants and cafes outside of tourist areas may also be closed. However, bakeries and some stores in Paris, as well as at airports and railway stations and along major highways, are open.

Public transport service schedules vary depending on where one lives and intends to travel. Roads in the centres of villages, towns and cities (particularly in Paris) may be closed for parades and other large public events.

Background

The Bastille is a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. Many people in France associated it with the harsh rule of the Bourbon monarchy in the late 1700s. On July 14, 1789, troops stormed the Bastille. This was a pivotal event at the beginning of the French Revolution. Fête de la Fédération was held on July 14, 1790. This was a way to celebrate the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France.

Official celebrations were held in Paris on June 30, 1878, to honour the Republic of France. On July 14, 1879, more official celebrations were held. These included a military review in Longchamp near Paris and celebrations all over the country. A politician named Benjamin Raspail proposed that July 14 should become a holiday in France in 1880. The law was enacted on July 6, 1880. Bastille Day was a public holiday for the first time on July 14, 1880.

The military parade in Paris has been held every year since 1880, except during World War II. The Free French Forces paraded on this date in London, England from 1940 until 1944. Jean Michel Jarre held a concert in Paris that attracted one million people, then the largest recorded crowd at an outdoor concert, in 1979. Special celebrations were held for the 200th anniversary of the French revolution in 1989. The French football team became world champions on July 12, 1998. This sparked celebrations throughout France on Bastille Day.

Bastille Day celebrations are held in French communities and the Institut de France around the world. Such events in the United States are held in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. There are festivals of French culture in Franschhoek, South Africa, and Hungary.

Symbols

The Eiffel Tower in Paris and the French national flag, or tricolour, are important symbols of Bastille Day. The French national flag is one-and-a-half times as wide as it is tall. It consists of three vertical bands of equal width coloured blue, white and red. The same colours are displayed in bunting and banners of many shapes on Bastille Day. People may also wear clothing or face paint in these colours.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

July 14th (le 14 Juillet), Bastille Day, is the French national holiday commemorating the start of the French revolution in 1789. The end of the French revolution led to a series of Republics, one of the symbols of which is la Marianne.

Named for the two most common woman’s names at the time, Marie and Anne, Marianne is a national symbol of France representing liberty and the importance of reason. Her image appears on stamps, on government documents, and a bust of her appears in les mairies (the town / city halls) of France.

Early images of Marianne were based on anonymous models, however since 1969 they have been based on the features of famous woman including Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, the model Inès de La Fressange, and more.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.