School is out and it’s Halloween week ! This year, Halloween falls on a Friday, the best possible time to indulge in the spirit of this haunted holiday and have fun !
While France may not be the biggest follower of this ancient pagan tradition, Grenoble and the area offer many activities to celebrate the spookiest day of the year.
Join the party !
Halloween – DR
In my years in San Francisco, Halloween was a huge deal.
Stores, bars, restaurants, streets, homes, the entire city was turned orange and black and it wasn’t over the Giants !
Everyone, young and old gets excited over the anticipation and preparation of this national holiday. Let’s see, a day when the entire country is dressing up in outrageous attire, unleashing their wild side while gobbling sweets ? Hmmm, yes please !
While the traditions of french catholicism do celebrate the day of the dead, the spirit remains more religious and Halloween celebrations never spread quite like they did in the UK or the USA.
Fantasy and folklore of All Hallows
Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to ancient Celtic day of the dead. It’s a holiday of many mysterious customs and each one has a history.
Halloween – DR
Druids were accustomed to burn sacred fires on the eve of Nov. 1, possibly to ward off evil spirits, as in the popular imagination this has always been considered the high carnival season for witches and fairies.
According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter.
Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months.
The festival organized at this time was called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld on that particular day.
People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables.
Time to celebrate
In present times, the original purpose of these celebrations has somewhat vanished but we held on and adapted the folklore to our modern city lives.
Halloween – DR
Browsing the internet for special Grenoble activities for Halloween, I found many exciting initiatives for all ages from going on sweet hunts at La Bastille (see Acrobastille website) to events in local bars, restaurants and even a light show at the Sassenage Les Cuves caves.
Halloween is about creating fantasy, becoming a super hero or a Belle de Jour for a day, gathering with friends, sharing great food, good vibes and welcoming the upcoming winter season so whether you celebrate at home or on the streets, don’t miss a time when it’s socially sanctionned to wear a costume, crazy make-up, carve out pumpkins with friends, bake delicious pumpkin pies, go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with the kids and show off your wild side…
Happy Halloween !
We want to know how you celebrated ! Please share your ideas, recipes, photos and comments !
Cécile Boussier
