Do French kids trick-or-treat?
Some do, in some neighbourhoods, with less certainty about whether doors will open. It has none of the infrastructure of the American version — no expectation that a street participates, no aisle of costumes in August, no adults treating it as their own event.
Why did it not take?
Partly because the date was occupied. Toussaint is a public holiday with real weight, and it is about family graves and remembrance, which does not sit comfortably beside a plastic skeleton. Partly because it arrived as an import with a marketing budget rather than as anything anybody asked for.
What does he make of the American version?
The scale, mostly. That houses are decorated in September, that adults have costumes, that a residential street coordinates. He finds the enthusiasm more surprising than the ghosts — which is roughly his response to American back-to-school as well.
Questions, answered
Do the French celebrate Halloween?
Not widely. Halloween is known in France but never established itself after a commercial push in the late 1990s. Trick-or-treating happens in some neighbourhoods but is not a general expectation.
What is Toussaint?
Toussaint, on 1 November, is a French public holiday traditionally spent visiting and tending family graves. It is the significant date at that time of year rather than Halloween.
Do French schools have a Halloween holiday?
French schools take a two-week break around late October and early November, but it is the Toussaint holiday rather than a Halloween one.
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