Discover All Saints’ Day in Provence and its Traditions
Hello! My name is Nina, and I live in Melbourne, Australia.
This autumn, I decided to do something I had been dreaming about for a while: come to France for a French immersion stay in Provence. I chose Virginie in Provence on the recommendation of my friend Phil, who already knew Virginie. Of course, I wanted to improve my French, but I also wanted to experience everyday life and discover French customs and traditions from the inside.
I arrived at a very particular time of year. The days were getting shorter, the markets had taken on their autumn colors, and I kept hearing a word that I knew without really understanding what it meant to French people: la Toussaint, or All Saints’ Day.
I soon realized that when you are immersed in a language, learning also happens through these little pieces of culture you encounter along the way.
All Saints’ Day in France: a tradition to understand
All Saints’ Day is celebrated every year on November 1. In the Catholic tradition, this day is dedicated to all saints, known and unknown.
I discovered an important distinction that I hadn’t known before: All Saints’ Day and the commemoration of the dead do not actually take place on the same day.
All Saints’ Day is on November 1, while All Souls’ Day, dedicated to the deceased, is on November 2.
However, in everyday French life, the two are closely connected.
As November 1 is a public holiday in France, many families use the day to visit cemeteries, tend the graves of loved ones and decorate them with flowers. This is why, around All Saints’ Day, you see so many flowers in cemeteries and flower shops.
And especially chrysanthemums.
Before my stay, I obviously knew this flower. But I didn’t know that in France, it was so strongly associated with this time of year and with remembering those who have passed away.
A few French words for All Saints’ Day
During this period, I also learned some vocabulary that you often hear in France in autumn.
La Toussaint: All Saints’ Day, celebrated on November 1.
Un jour férié: a public holiday.
Un cimetière: a cemetery.
Une tombe: a grave.
Fleurir une tombe: to place flowers on a grave.
Se recueillir: to spend a quiet moment in reflection or prayer.
Un chrysanthème: a chrysanthemum, a flower traditionally seen in French cemeteries around All Saints’ Day.
There is also an expression French people often use when a public holiday falls conveniently during the week: faire le pont.
Faire le pont means taking a day off between a public holiday and the weekend to create a longer break.
A very French expression… and quite easy to remember once you understand the idea!
A different way to discover Aix-en-Provence
During my stay, Virginie suggested that instead of learning about All Saints’ Day from a lesson or a book, we simply go and see how this tradition is part of local life.
So we went to Aix-en-Provence.
Our first stop was rather unusual for a tourist excursion: the cemetery in Aix-en-Provence.
I probably would never have thought of visiting a cemetery during a stay in Provence. But I was curious.
When we arrived, I immediately noticed the many flowers placed on the graves. The atmosphere was peaceful. Families had come to pay their respects to their loved ones.
Virginie also explained that Paul Cézanne, the famous painter born in Aix-en-Provence, is buried here.
Of course, I had heard of Cézanne before. But learning about an artist in the city where he lived, in French, while standing in a place that is itself part of the city’s history, feels very different from reading a few lines in a guidebook.
That is what I love about immersion: the language is always connected to something real.
From the cemetery to the Aix-en-Provence market
After that peaceful moment, there was a complete change of atmosphere: we headed to the market.
And Aix was lively again.
The stalls were filled with seasonal produce. There were fruits and vegetables, autumn squash, as well as clothes, scarves, pottery and all those little things you stop to look at while wandering through a Provençal market.
For me, a market is also a wonderful place to practice French.
You listen to conversations around you. You read the signs. You discover the name of a vegetable or a product you don’t know. You ask questions. You hear different accents.
Most importantly, you speak French without really feeling as though you are doing an exercise.
That is probably one of the things I enjoyed most about my immersion.
French continues at the market, in the street, at the restaurant, in the car and throughout all the conversations of the day.
Finding a restaurant… and continuing to speak French
Around lunchtime, we started getting hungry.
I wanted to eat at a restaurant and enjoy a little more time in Aix-en-Provence.
There was just one small problem: several restaurants were fully booked that day.
What could simply have been a logistical problem turned into another opportunity to practice my French.
Making phone calls.
Asking if there was a table available.
Understanding the answer.
Trying somewhere else.
And starting again.
In a language class, you can learn how to book a table at a restaurant. But when you are genuinely hungry and actually need to find somewhere for lunch, the conversation suddenly feels very different!
Eventually, we found a restaurant near La Rotonde.
Before lunch, we stopped near the Cézanne statue to take a few photos.
A few hours earlier, we had been standing by his grave. Now we were seeing his figure again in the heart of Aix.
I loved that sense of continuity throughout our day.
Learning French through everyday life
When I think back on that day, I don’t remember having a “lesson about All Saints’ Day.”
I remember a walk.
A cemetery covered in flowers.
Cézanne.
A colorful market.
Conversations in French.
Phone calls to find a restaurant.
And sharing lunch in Aix-en-Provence.
Yet I learned so much.
I understood what All Saints’ Day really means in French culture. I discovered new vocabulary. I gained a better understanding of certain cultural traditions. And I used my French in situations I could never have predicted before arriving.
Perhaps that is what I remember most about my immersion in Provence: you don’t just learn French. You learn, little by little, to live in French.
Provence in autumn, from a different perspective
We often imagine Provence in summer, with lavender fields, sunshine and long days.
But I loved discovering it in autumn.
The light is different. The markets change. The colors change too. Life sometimes feels a little quieter, and you get to discover different French traditions.
All Saints’ Day was one of them.
It certainly wasn’t the most obvious excursion I could have imagined before my stay. And yet, that day in Aix-en-Provence became one of my favorite memories of my immersion.
Because it felt like a real day in France.
And that was exactly what I had come for.
FAQ – All Saints’ Day in France
What is the difference between All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day?
All Saints’ Day is celebrated on November 1 and, in the Catholic tradition, is dedicated to all saints. All Souls’ Day takes place the following day, November 2. In French culture, however, the two are closely connected, particularly because many families use the November 1 public holiday to visit cemeteries.
Is November 1 a public holiday in France?
Yes. All Saints’ Day is a public holiday in France. Opening hours for shops, restaurants, museums and public transport may therefore be different on that day.
Why are there so many chrysanthemums around All Saints’ Day?
In France, chrysanthemums are traditionally used to decorate graves around All Saints’ Day. As November 1 approaches, you will see them everywhere in flower shops and at cemetery entrances.
What does “faire le pont” mean?
Faire le pont means taking a day off between a public holiday and the weekend to create a longer break. It is a very common French expression.
Is All Saints’ Day a good time to visit Provence?
Provence has a very different atmosphere at this time of year compared with summer. Temperatures are generally cooler, the landscapes take on their autumn colors and the region is often less crowded. It is also an interesting time to experience everyday French life and discover local traditions.
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These experiences are part of what I love about French immersion: discovering Provence while using French in real-life situations.
If you would also like to go beyond traditional French lessons and experience the language through markets, meals, encounters, traditions and everyday life, discover the French immersion stays offered by Virginie in Provence.
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