Halloween and Toussaint in France

Halloween isn't officially celebrated here in France, but from last Saturday (before Halloween) some stores and organizations have got in the spirit and decorated their storefronts with ghouls, cobwebs and fake body parts.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into the TCL transportation office to find their walls decorated with graffiti scribbled on towels. Was this an expression of their Halloween spirit, or was it a form of protest disguised as a Halloween decoration? The terrible thing was that I wasn't really sure! (see photo)

The day after Halloween is a holiday in France, and many schools actually give the whole week (the days before and after 1 November) off to their students (not my school, though!). The day is called "Toussaint" and for the longest time I wondered, who was this Mr. Toussaint ... was he some historical figure, some military hero who conquered Europe at the side of Napoleon, ....

"No," my American colleague pointed out to me. "You dingbat, tous, saint, All Saint's Day."