First Aid Kit + €0.00 = Instant Mummy!

Halloween is not a traditional holiday in France. Most French people wouldn't know what it is. But a small town near us had a Halloween celebration for kids tonight that was very nice (and free! Something in Europe for free! It's a miracle).

Kids dressed up (mine was a mummy) and the grown-ups gave them paper Chinese lanterns w/lit candles (wow, you’d never do that in the States) with long sticks to hang them on. It was very beautiful, all these witches, vampires, and skeletons with their lanterns. A marching band led, and we all walked together in a parade through the town. But instead of us throwing out candy like you see in the States, we had candy thrown to us. So the parade bottle-necked every 3 minutes to let the kids grab their candy. Quite a bit of the “sweeties” as my British friends called them, came from 2nd and 3rd story buildings, which gave the whole thing a Mardis Gras atmosphere.

After they paraded us all through the winding streets and I had no idea where I was, they led us into a building with disco lights and packed us all in like sardines. This was the kids’ “disco” was to be held. But the first few minutes were just people standing up listening to a marching band. Yawn…

After a while, they dimmed the lights, and started playing something by Michael Jackson (probably “Thriller”). A bunch of people left then, and they brought out chairs. And then the kids started dancing. It was quite a laugh, kids are so free with their dancing. They don’t care who’s watching. After while, this very French looking guy (beret, striped shirt, the works) walks through calling something out. Presumably something about soup, because he had a large bowl of the most delicious smelling soup. And a man trailing behind with bowls and spoons. I didn’t get any, but I sure was tempted. One more regret.

They were also selling French fries (really fantastic tasting ones!), Heineken, and Coca-cola in glass bottles. It was quite festive. The adults became as fun to watch as the kids, especially when they rolled out “YMCA” and “By the Waters of Babylon”. Then the kids started getting wild. A tiny little boy got run over by my kid and fell down at my feet, completely still. I shrieked and went to pick up the little guy, saying “C’est bon?”: all I could think of at the moment. And hoping that he was OK, so I didn’t have to say anything else. He was laughing. So I assumed he was fine. Still, it took me a couple times of the same thing to figure out he was doing it purpose. It was cracking him up!

My son had his first experience asking a girl to dance with him (“Voulez-vous dancez avec mois?”). And his first 2 rejections. He came running to me at one point, flinging himself in my arms and crying, like he’s never done before: “They’re just ignoring me!!!”

Haha. A little while later, he snagged one that spoke a bit of English. And they danced their weird, funny mix of booty-shaking, break-dancing, snapping rapper moves. Unfortunately, we had to leave, and he never learned her name. Better luck next time.