Celebrating Halloween in Provence: Our experience and the vocabulary to know
- virginieinprovence
- Sep 18
- 5 min read
As far back as I can remember, I never celebrated Halloween as a child. This holiday gradually made its way into French culture. And even though not everyone celebrates it, everyone knows about it.Today, for my children’s generation, it has become a true ritual: every year, they look forward to Halloween with excitement.
I. Halloween: a bit of history
When I write an article, I like to understand where things come from. So, I did a little research.The word Halloween comes from the contraction of “All Hallows’ Eve”, which means the eve of All Saints’ Day.Originally, it was a Celtic and Gaulish festival called Samhain. A long time ago, the Celtic year didn’t end on December 31, but on October 31.That date has remained a part of our traditions ever since.
A. How did Halloween arrive in France?
Halloween has been celebrated for a long time in the United States, but in France, it appeared in the late 1990s — notably with the launch of a mobile phone called Olaween.Its advertising campaign — pumpkins handed out in the streets of Paris — made quite an impression!Still, the holiday was long perceived as too commercial and took time to become established.
Today, about one in three French people celebrates Halloween. Since the pandemic, sales linked to the holiday have skyrocketed: people in France have felt a real need to reconnect, to laugh, and to have fun together.
II. How we celebrate Halloween in Provence
A. Our first experience in Éguilles, Provence
When we first arrived in Provence, we lived in a small village called Éguilles.For Halloween, the local council had organized a big celebration with workshops and riddles.Children had to collect clues along the way and pour them into a giant cauldron to try and find the right answer — and win a cup full of candy!
I loved the idea: it allowed them to enjoy the fun while having limited access to sweets.Lily was 4, Tom was 5, and Léo was 7. They loved it!
As for me, I have mixed memories of that evening — mostly because the village hall was quite small — but seeing your children happy is priceless, isn’t it?
Since then, my children have looked forward to Halloween every year with the same enthusiasm
B. Our experience in Rousset, Provence
Since 2020, we’ve been living in Rousset, another small Provençal village.We hadn’t often had the chance to celebrate Halloween because my children are usually with my mother during the school holidays.But last year, we finally managed to celebrate it together.
One of my students, Robin, and her husband Jim joined us to share this moment.We first went around the neighborhood (see photo above with Magali), then strolled through the village, going from shop to shop to collect candy, before sitting down at a café terrace for dinner.
Lily dressed up as Wednesday Addams, and Tom as the Grim Reaper.
This year, Tom has already chosen his costume — the same as last year!
Lily, on the other hand, is still undecided… That’s so her! I have a feeling it will end with a last-minute shopping trip in Aix-en-Provence. In any case, they can’t wait.
C. Halloween costumes in Provence (and in France)
What always makes me smile is that many French people think a Halloween costume must necessarily be scary.So, in the streets of Aix-en-Provence and nearby villages, you mostly see vampires, ghosts, skeletons, and zombies.
Happier costumes — fairies, knights, princesses — are generally reserved for Mardi Gras or other costume parties.
III. Halloween decorations in Provence
Halloween decorations create a magical atmosphere in Provençal villages.House façades are adorned with carved pumpkins, orange and black garlands, and cotton spiderwebs.Shops display handcrafted items such as witch hats, scarecrows, and scented candles.
Every detail transforms the streets into a fairy-tale world with a touch of spookiness, though it’s still more understated than the impressive displays you’ll see in the United States.
IV. A modern celebration rooted in tradition
With globalization, the way people celebrate Halloween in Provence has evolved.Costume parties in bars, events in theme parks, and Halloween nights in clubs have now become common.
Yet, Provençal people remain deeply attached to their local traditions: calissons, navettes, autumn walks, and pumpkins on doorsteps are still part of the seasonal decor.You won’t find pumpkin pie in the shops yet, but don’t worry — Provençal sweets are never in short supply!
V. “Trick or Treat”: how do you say it in French?
To finish, it’s worth noting that there’s no perfect literal translation.The closest version would be “des bonbons ou un sort” (candy or a spell), which you can often hear children shouting in Provençal streets on the evening of October 31.
VI. Vocabulary
Here are a few French words to help you when you come to celebrate Halloween in Provence.
Français | English | 🔊 Prononciation (approx.) |
une fête | a celebration / a holiday | ün fɛt |
la Toussaint | All Saints’ Day | la tusɛ̃ |
une tradition | a tradition | yn tʁadisjɔ̃ |
une coutume | a custom | yn kutym |
une légende celtique | a Celtic legend | yn leʒɑ̃d sɛltik |
Samhain | Samhain | sa.wɛn |
les Celtes | the Celts | le sɛlt |
le 31 octobre | October 31st | lə tʁɑ̃t‿œ̃ktɔbʁ |
une origine | an origin | yn ɔʁiʒin |
la fin de l’année | the end of the year | la fɛ̃ də lane |
un déguisement | a costume | œ̃ deɡizəmɑ̃ |
se déguiser | to dress up | sə deɡize |
une sorcière | a witch | yn sɔʁsjɛʁ |
un vampire | a vampire | œ̃ vɑ̃piʁ |
un fantôme | a ghost | œ̃ fɑ̃tom |
un squelette | a skeleton | œ̃ skəlɛt |
un zombie | a zombie | œ̃ zɔ̃bi |
un fossoyeur | a gravedigger | œ̃ fɔswajœʁ |
Mercredi Addams | Wednesday Addams | mɛʁkʁədi adams |
une fée | a fairy | yn fe |
un chevalier | a knight | œ̃ ʃəvalje |
une princesse | a princess | yn pʁɛ̃sɛs |
un bonbon | a candy / a sweet | œ̃ bɔ̃bɔ̃ |
une friandise | a treat | yn fʁijɑ̃diz |
un chaudron | a cauldron | œ̃ ʃodʁɔ̃ |
un sort | a spell / a curse | œ̃ sɔʁ |
« des bonbons ou un sort » | trick or treat | de bɔ̃bɔ̃ zu ɛ̃ sɔʁ |
une énigme | a riddle / a puzzle | yn enigm |
un indice | a clue | œ̃ ɛ̃dis |
une farce | a prank / a trick | yn faʁs |
une citrouille | a pumpkin | yn sitʁuj |
une citrouille sculptée | a carved pumpkin / a jack-o’-lantern | yn sitʁuj skylté |
une guirlande | a garland | yn ɡiʁlɑ̃d |
une toile d’araignée | a spiderweb | yn twal daʁɛɲe |
une araignée | a spider | yn aʁɛɲe |
un épouvantail | a scarecrow | œ̃ nepuvɑ̃taj |
une bougie parfumée | a scented candle | yn buʒi paʁfyme |
des couleurs orange et noires | orange and black colors | de kulœʁ ɔʁɑ̃ʒ e nwaʁ |
une lanterne | a lantern | yn lɑ̃tɛʁn |
une atmosphère magique | a magical atmosphere | yn atmɔsfɛʁ maʒik |
une ambiance effrayante | a spooky atmosphere | yn ɑ̃bjɑ̃s efʁɛjɑ̃t |
un village | a village | œ̃ vilaʒ |
une maison | a house | yn mɛzɔ̃ |
une façade | a façade / a front | yn fasad |
une rue | a street | yn ʁy |
un bistrot | a café / a bistro | œ̃ bistʁo |
une boutique | a shop | yn butik |
une fête | a party / a celebration | yn fɛt |
une soirée costumée | a costume party | yn swaʁe kɔstyme |
une balade automnale | an autumn walk | yn balad otomnal |
avoir peur | to be afraid | avwaʁ pœʁ |
faire peur | to scare | fɛʁ pœʁ |
rire | to laugh | ʁiʁ |
s’amuser | to have fun | samuze |
attendre avec impatience | to look forward to | atɑ̃dʁ avɛk ɛ̃pasjɑ̃s |
un souvenir | a memory | œ̃ suveniʁ |
un moment partagé | a shared moment | œ̃ mɔmɑ̃ paʁtaʒe |
voir ses enfants heureux | to see your children happy | vwaʁ sez ɑ̃fɑ̃z øʁø |
des calissons | calissons (almond sweets from Aix-en-Provence) | de kalisɔ̃ |
des navettes | navettes (traditional Provençal biscuits) | de navɛt |
une pumpkin pie | a pumpkin pie | yn pœmpkin paj |
When you come for an immersion stay in Provence, you’ll discover that Halloween is much more than just a holiday — it’s a moment of sharing, language, and culture, to be experienced in complete authenticity.
See you soon,
Virginie in Provence
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