Cultural differences that matter

Years ago, when studying in Paris, I knew that November 1 was a holiday in France.

But as it wasn’t celebrated where I was from, the USA, I assumed that it was a mere bank holiday, a day when business wasn’t done.

I took for granted that, even if classes weren’t held on November 1, the school would be open and its library would be operating as usual.

But the school was closed, really closed. Its main gates were shut tight. No one was in sight. The streets were quieter than usual, and neighborhood shops were closed.

In France, there’s a deeply rooted custom of visiting cemeteries on November 1. Visitors often clean up loved ones’ funerary decorations and bring plants, especially chrysanthemums, to the graveside. The custom is popular and more broadly observed than church attendance.