All Saints’ holidays are the first two weeks of break given to French schoolchildren after the start of the school year. Still nostalgic of summer, but already immersed in the atmosphere of autumn, the shimmering colours of which brighten up the parks and gardens, families traditionally get together to experience a moment of remembrance at the time of the Feast of the Dead. On this occasion, the traditions are not so numerous and yet, All Saints’ Day is an essential step in the year for French families. Let’s see what are the customs and the gastronomic, cultural and tourist curiosities to discover during a language stay in France on All Saints’ Day.

We must warn foreign visitors, the cult of the dead in France is much prosaic and more reserved than in some countries, such as Mexico for example, where spectacular celebrations are traditionally held. 

The tradition of All Saints’ Day in France is that people go to the cemetery to pay homage to deceased loved ones and place flowers and candles on the graves, symbols of a happy life in the hereafter.

Chrysanthemums, even Marigolds, have the advantage over all other flowers, because they are the ones that resist the cold and humidity of autumn the best…

Who knows, perhaps global warming will modify these uses… During a stay in France for All Saints’ Day, you will be able to see to what extent the French are faithful to this ritual, not missing the appointment with their loved ones, beyond any religious conviction.

Historical anecdote: All Saints’ Day formerly coincided with the potato harvest. At that time, the whole family worked in the fields, and the children had to miss school! This is how the “potato holidays” were introduced. Nowadays, the expression still persists in certain French-speaking regions of Switzerland, for example, but it has been generally renamed “All Saints holidays”. So, dear students, ready for a “potato vacation” in France?

In France, as in other (Catholic) countries around the world, All Saints’ Day constitutes a moment of remembrance and gathering with family and ancestors, without fatal or nostalgic aspects. Gastronomy has its place at the heart of “celebrations”.

Against all expectations, France – despite being a gourmet – does not maintain proper culinary traditions for this occasion. While in other countries, the “meal of the dead” is a family feast to symbolically share the meal with their dead, there are very few All Saints recipes.

A few rare regional traditions persist in a very localized manner. For example, the pâté de poires de Fisée is a puff pastry cake with autumn scents (pears, sugar, cloves, wine and vanilla bean) which is eaten on All Saints’ Day in the Pays de Bray in the north-west of France. 

Or niflettes, a pastry originating from the town of Provins, in Seine-et-Marne, a traditional All Saints’ Day tart close to Portuguese Pasteis de Nata.

Direction Paris 20th district and Père Lachaise, where the visitors enter a maze of 70,000 concessions, “to meet” Molière, Balzac, La Fontaine, Apollinaire, Oscar Wilde for literary artists, Chopin, Maria Callas, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison… for musicians… It is an opportunity to dive into both the history and culture of France by retracing the biographies and successes of each of these French and international personalities. A true open-air museum not to be missed during your language stay in Paris!

More about our language stay in Paris

About thirty kilometres from Paris, we reach Auvers-sur-Oise. In this green hamlet, we follow a pilgrimage in homage to Van Gogh, where the Dutch painter produced 70 paintings, inspired by local architecture in particular, and spent the last days of his life there close to his brother. The cemetery of Auvers-Sur-Oise is one that can be visited just for one name. Here, we find the two symmetrical, moving stelae of Theodore and Vincent Van Gogh.

Are you planning a language and cultural stay in France for Christmas? Prepare for a marathon of traditions, culinary and festive experiences to share with family or groups of travelling friends! Although France is a secular country, Christmas remains a public and widely celebrated holiday, topped off with a hearty meal and an exchange of gifts.

Choosing the end of year celebrations to visit France and perfect your learning of the French language is a divine opportunity to soak up the magic of Christmas and enjoy moments of fervour and sharing.

To celebrate Christmas, some families set the nativity scene, placed near the Christmas tree and made of santons. The tradition appeared in Provence, inspired by an Italian custom. The term comes from the Provencal “santoun” (translated as “little saints”), representing small figurines in local clay, painted and assembled to form the nativity scene. 

If you decide to organize your language study trip in the South of France, you will see how much this tradition of santons is still very present in Provence, so that santon fairs are organized throughout the region, the largest being the one from Marseille.

Spending a cultural stay in the Alsatian region for Christmas is a chance!  Strasbourg was designated Capital of Christmas in 1992, a well-deserved title which can be explained by a very old Germanic tradition. The first Christmas market in Strasbourg was held in 1570! Students, learners, and FLE teachers will stroll through the Marché des Délices, the Carré d’Or market or the Irréductibles market, in front of the marvellous stands of the craftsmen, and under the sparkling lights of the Baccarat crystal chandeliers. 

An ideal enchanting break to find the small souvenir and handcrafted gift (no tourist trap here!) that will hit the mark once back home. 

Finally, the Strasbourg Christmas market is the time to warm up with gastronomic specialties to enjoy on the go. The pretzel kugelhopf, moricettes or mannala abound on the tantalizing stalls. The essential and traditional drink that can be found in all the Christmas markets in France is mulled wine, a suave beverage made from red wine infused with cinnamon, orange and other spices that warm hearts and minds.

If you are spending your end-of-year holidays in Provence, your stay will be punctuated by tasting the 13 Christmas desserts! They personify the 13 members of the Last Supper. The Mediterranean diet satisfies the sweet tooth this time! We find the traditional bread in olive oil flavored with citrus zest called “oil pump”, nuts, dried figs, raisins, dates, quince paste, various candied fruits , white nougat, black nougat (with toasted almonds and caramelized honey), red nougat (with pistachios and rose), oranges, clementines, watermelon and the famous Calissons d’Aix-en -Provence. 

Baking with the family a month in advance is part of the art of living and the unconditional traditions of Alsatian Christmas. We make all kinds of Christolles, Mannele and Bredele, a multitude of cookies, brioches and other sweets illustrating the themes and characters of Christmas and Saint Nicolas. The gingerbread flavoured with cinnamon, cardamom, almonds and honey, also accompanies the snacks in December since the sixteenth century!

After a harsh winter, spring is emerging, and the Carnival brings with it greed, laughter and disguises with a little madness and abandon! 

With a stay in France for the winter holidays (February-March) in mind, Vacances Actives Linguistiques offers you a tour of France of carnivals and a colourful parade of culinary specialties and costumes! Yes, between Mardi Gras and Carnival, France can compete with Rio and Venice! 

1. To prepare and celebrate Carnival with your host family or a group of French as a Foreign Language students. The principle is simple: make or buy a mask, a costume, eat more than enough, parade and party! 
2. To learn French without taking yourself seriously: teachers and families play the Carnival game, a moment of joy, dance, and disguise to forget the sadness of winter!
3. To discover the traditions of the French regions with originality, whatever the destination. Travellers can experience the Mardi Gras and Carnival festivities from the north to the south of France.

Travel to France at Carnival: disguise de rigueur!

To celebrate Carnival in France, people must be ready to come in disguise! Traditionally, the mask was worn to imitate and mock an authority or a servant. Without being recognized by their costume, the participants dare to caricature without fear of reprisals! Watch out for the disguises of language teachers! Celebrating Carnival will give the traveller the opportunity to have a good time by creating the ideal costume with their host family or a group of students, to put themselves in the shoes of their hero, a famous real or fictional character! Everything is allowed!

Spending winter holidays in France is synonymous with great greed! The festivities of Carnival arrive ahead of Lent (40 days of fasting). The highlight is Mardi Gras, a traditional Christian feast where we eat rich foods and particularly restorative culinary specialties! French families allow themselves all the gastronomic excesses; we feast around rich and inexpensive preparations. What for? In order to finish the stocks of butter, eggs and sugar!

Depending on the region of destination of your winter stay in France, you will undoubtedly taste the same specialty but under a totally different name! Carnival generates culinary and linguistic folklore and inspires regional idioms! 

Flip pancakes 

In the continuity of the Candlemas (February 02 in France), pancakes are one of the essential specialties of the Carnival and Mardi Gras festivities. Each region has its own pancake recipe, made from milk or water, its type of flour, its dose of sugar, and its alcohol to flavour! Students are generally big fans of this French specialty!

The apotheosis of this linguistic stay at the Nice Carnival is the Battle of Flowers : a spring and bucolic wind blows over the city! Actresses posted on floats adorned with fresh flowers throw bouquets and mimosa to rain on the audience! 

To close the festivities, the Baie des Anges lights up under fireworks and the King’s pyre, burnt on the Mediterranean Sea. 

Stopover at the Menton Carnival

Let have an unforgettable surprise by stopping off in Menton: a city all in lemon yellow! The Menton Carnival is marked by the omnipresence of this emblematic Mediterranean fruit. Since 1930, the lemon has been celebrated there in all its forms, with floats, costumes and sculptures made entirely from lemons!

The Dunkerque Carnival was originally a fishermen’s feast, a banquet offered by ship owners to their courageous sailors before the resumption of fishing in the spring. It stands out from other carnivals in France and around the world for its unusual traditions and its long duration (festivities lasting almost 3 months!). Disguised parades, feasts and maritime traditions combine to give a unique Carnival! The atmosphere is overexcited and boozy, marked by the “bands”, parades of disguised carnivalists led by the drum major, and night balls. 

Dunkerque Carnival electroshock for all visitors is the famous herring throwing. During the big parade, the bands stop under the windows of the Town Hall where the mayor and his team throw smoked herrings (wrapped in cellophane) at the carnival audience! Souvenir (olfactory) of travel guaranteed! 

You will have to go as far as Finistère, in Douarnenez, to discover the most important carnival in Brittany. Balls and costumed parades come one after another to celebrate the King of Carnival, Den’Paolig, (literally “poor man” in Breton), suspended on the facade of the town halls, then burned in the port at the end of the festivities. The “Gras de Douarnenez” has been celebrated since 1835, to celebrate the end of winter, and the resumption of more fruitful work by fishermen.