In the United States, October 31st is Halloween. Period. France is among those countries that have a different take on this time of year. October 31st is All Souls Day and November 1st is All Saints Day. Folks remember those who have passed. Each little village has its own cemetery and each cemetery is refreshed and renewed. Imagine an entire town getting a new coat of paint. That's the way the cemetery looked as every piece of marble appeared to have been washed and polished. That's not to say that the French haven't started to adopt the whole costume-wearing, Trick or Treating routine. But it's going slowly and that's fine with us.
Cathey and I visited the cemetery in Quarante today. We were going to visit yesterday but as we were leaving the house and walking by the abbey, we noticed a funeral taking place. We didn't want our curiosity and picture taking to intrude. Hence, I post today.
