As American kids are putting their costumes together for a Halloween night of black and orange, businesses here are closing their shutters at midday for a four-day weekend: La Toussaint. On All Saints' Day, Martinicans make their annual pilgrimage to honor their dead at cemeteries gleaming white from this year's coat of paint on the aboveground tombs and crypts. The women selling plastic flowers are stationed across the street; the peanut lady, nuts wrapped in conical brown paper, sits at the front gate. Taxis and cars pull up as the dark curtain of night comes down. Hundreds of candles illuminate the black-and-white checkerboard tiles and photos of departed loved ones. Tears glisten on the cheeks of a grandmé re. But this is also an annual family reunion where relatives kiss each other warmly on both cheeks. More »
Photo: Dave Sanger/Courtesy Martinique Promotions Bureau
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