Showing posts with label All Souls' Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All Souls' Day. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Toussaints

All Saints' Day is observed on November 1st every year. Historically, it's a day of remembrance for all the saints, known and unknown, but in Martinique, it's a day to commemorate both morts and vivants, the living and the dead. It's a quiet day, to be spent with family. All the stores are closed, and there's a mass early in the morning, at 7AM. Throughout the day and night, people go with their families to visit the graves of their dead relatives, and leave flowers and candles.

November 2nd, All Souls' Day, is historically a day of remembrance for all the dead faithful. In Martinique, it's pretty much observed identical to the above.

I didn't participate in any of these activities, but I live right next to the town cemetery, so I did get to see some of the action.

Here's what it looked like during the day.


Now, at night, with candles aglow.