All Saints' Day in French Polynesia

A fixed date and a qualified day off

French Polynesia’s Labour Code lists November 1 as All Saints’ Day. The date is fixed; there is no substitute or observed day when November 1 falls on a weekend.[1]

A public holiday is not necessarily a non-working day. The Direction du travail says that, apart from May 1, public holidays are non-working only when the employer decides, workplace usage applies, or a collective or company agreement provides for it. Workers should check the rules that apply to their job rather than assume the date guarantees paid leave.[2]

Christian meaning and remembrance

In Catholic teaching, All Saints’ Day honors the saints as a community and points to the call to holiness. The following day, November 2, is set aside for the commemoration of the faithful departed. This distinction helps explain why cemetery visits and remembrance are closely associated with the first days of November, while the two observances remain separate in the church calendar.[5]

The turamara’a in Papeete

Papeete’s municipal notice provides a documented example of the local observance. For Toussaint, the city said families could visit the Uranie cemetery from early morning until evening on November 1, with a turamara’a planned from 5:30 p.m. The notice describes time for families to gather and reflect at the cemetery.[3]

The city also records a traditional tribute to the deceased at Uranie cemetery on November 2. Together, these notices show cemetery remembrance around Toussaint in Papeete, but do not establish that every island or community follows the same programme.[4]

Planning around the holiday

The statutory listing confirms the holiday date, but does not provide opening hours for public offices, shops, banks, or transport. Because work arrangements can depend on sector agreements and employer practice, residents should check with their workplace; visitors should confirm hours with any office, shop, cemetery, or transport operator they plan to use.[1][2][3]