Any cemetery aficionados among you? Père-Lachaise, Montparnasse, and Montmartre often show up on visitors’ must-see lists. If you’re planning to visit any of them this week, brace yourself for large crowds and colorful seas of chrysanthèmes, the official flower of La Toussaint. November 1st is a paid holiday here: it provides an opportunity to flower the graves and remember our deceased loved ones over a family meal. Just like your typical Sunday lunch, minus the singing.
Shopping for mums in the 17th arrondissement
People visit Parisian cemeteries for many different reasons. Locals in search of a quiet haven within the bustling city can be found reading their book on a sunny bench, just as they would in the Luxembourg Gardens. Armed with maps apparently designed for a chasse au trésor, tourists scurry around wide aisles and narrow alleys in search of “that” grave, be it Oscar Wilde or Jean-Paul Sartre. Architecture and art lovers marvel at the variety of structures and sculptures that mark the burial sites of the famous and the unknown.
Funeral wreaths and glass enclosure at the Payrignac cemetery
My local cimetière is less grandiose and less crowded. No “walk-in” stone mausoleums housing crypts or sarcophagi there, but I’ve always liked the understated elegance of the glass enclosures that surround some of the older caveaux. I also find them practical because the iron posts make it easy to hang wreaths and, in particular, my favorite kind: les couronnes de perles.
Wreaths of white pearls are often used when the deceased is a child or a young woman
Most of the time, the outline of the wreath is made with purple beads
These exquisite glass bead wreaths seem more prevalent in old cemeteries en province. They were very popular for about a hundred years, roughly between 1850 and 1950. They usually measure about three feet in height; thousands of small beads are strung on thin metal wires, then shaped like leaves, flowers, or dentelle patterns; typical colors include many shades from pale mauve to deep violet, pink, green, white, and black.
Countryside setting
Some designs combine pearls and cloth flowers. Intricate work!
Rust: their worse enemy
As a little girl, I looked forward to my weekly trip to the cemetery before attending mass. While my grandmother set up fresh flowers from her garden onto family graves, my cousin and I scoured the dirt alleys, searching for loose beads that we took home to make bracelets for ourselves. We were already “recycling” before it was fashionable.
Loose beads are easier to find (and pick up) when you’re smaller and closer to the ground!
This past week, my aunt and I spent a little time sprucing up my grandparents and great-grandparents’ graves. I reflected that, after more than twenty years, grandma’s wreath still looked pretty good. I found myself meandering in the alleys and looking down in the vicinity of old wreaths, hoping to spot mes petites perles. I came home with a small handful of beads and a big smile on my face.
Grandma’s wreath
Vocabulary
Le chrysanthème: chrysanthemum
La Toussaint: All Saints Day
La chasse au trésor: treasure hunt
Le cimetière: cemetery
Le caveau: burial vault
La couronne: wreath; crown
La perle: pearl; bead
En province: out in the country, outside of Paris
La dentelle: lace