All Saints’ Day in St. Pierre & Miquelon
All Saints’ Day, or La Toussaint, is a legal public holiday in St. Pierre & Miquelon on November 1. Local archival reporting records church services and a cemetery blessing on Miquelon, while current information about the islands’ parish services is published separately from its regular schedule.[1][3][4]
A fixed date in the French holiday calendar
France’s Labour Code lists La Toussaint among the legal public holidays. The Code applies in St. Pierre & Miquelon, subject to provisions specific to the collectivity; its special rules do not remove All Saints’ Day from the list.[1][2]
The date is November 1 each year. All Saints’ Day remains on that date when it falls on a Sunday.[1]
A religious day with a local record
All Saints’ Day is a Christian feast honoring all saints, known and unknown. In the Western Church, November 1 became the established date; this is the wider religious background to the holiday observed in St. Pierre & Miquelon.[5]
A local account published in the Miquelon parish newspaper in 1933 describes a solemn All Saints’ service and, the following day, a procession to the cemetery for a general blessing of graves. This is evidence of practice at that time, not proof that the same ceremony takes place every year today.[4]
Church services and island schedules
The Catholic parish serves both Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Its published regular schedule lists Masses in both communities and advises readers to check parish announcements for special service times. It does not give a standing All Saints’ programme, so travelers should check current parish notices for holiday services.[3]
The archive’s account points to a connection between worship and remembrance of the dead on Miquelon in 1933. A 1933 account records a cemetery procession and blessing of graves the day after All Saints’ Day.[3][4]
What the public holiday means for work and plans
A legal public holiday does not by itself guarantee that every employee has the day off. The Labour Code’s specific rule that a holiday must be non-working applies to May 1; for other holidays, work arrangements can depend on applicable collective agreements and workplace practice. The Code also sets pay protections for qualifying employees when work is stopped for a public holiday.[1][6]
Check opening hours with government offices, banks, shops and restaurants before you go. Check transport schedules before making plans, especially for inter-island or other transport connections.[3]
Frequently asked questions
Is All Saints’ Day a public holiday in St. Pierre & Miquelon?
When is All Saints’ Day observed?
It is observed on November 1 each year, including when that date falls on a weekend.[1]
Does everyone get the day off?
What is open on the holiday?
Check opening hours with the office, bank, shop or transport operator you plan to use.
Sources and references
Sources used for All Saints' Day in St. Pierre & Miquelon:
- Sous-section 1 : Ordre public. (Articles L3133-1 à L3133-3) - Code du travail- Légifrance
- Chapitre II : Durée du travail, repos et congés. (Articles L3422-1 à L3422-5)- Légifrance
- Horaires hebdomadaires (messes et célébrations)- Paroisses de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Diocese of La Rochelle
- Le Foyer paroissial, 15 novembre 1933- Arché Musée et Archives
- 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/All Saints, Festival of- Encyclopædia Britannica, transcribed by Wikisource
- Article L3133-4 - Code du travail- Légifrance