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As they do every year, the loved ones of the deceased flock to the island’s cemeteries to decorate the graves as All Saints’ Day
and the Day of the Dead. It’s a tradition that allows us to honor and cherish those who have passed away.
The sun already seems high in the sky over Lorient. Although the sun rose a few hours ago, the morning is still in its early stages. Amid growing warmth, though still tinged with the coolness of dawn, Ginette and Uranie are busy tending to the graves of their beloved departed. Wearing hats to shield their heads from the sun, the daughter and mother are making sure the graves will be well-lit for All Saints’ Day, this Sunday, November 1, and All Souls’ Day, Monday, November 2. For the two women, this task is by no means a chore—quite the opposite. “It’s always been the tradition,” says Ginette. “It’s a way to honor the dead. We give them a fresh coat of paint. We think of them. I’ve always known it this way.” At her side, Uranie nods with a small smile.
In every cemetery in Saint-Barthélemy, the loved ones of the deceased work to spruce up the graves for the big day. But this isn’t just an annual maintenance task. Further down the paths of the Lorient cemetery, Claudie explains: “You have to come often to remove the weeds, sand, and so on. We come all year round. And then there are the anniversaries, too. That’s just as important—to show that people aren’t forgotten.” ” On Tuesday, October 27, Claudie is carefully cleaning her mother’s grave. “She was both a father and a mother to me,” explains Claudie. “So I continue to be there for her. My mother is from Les Saintes (Guadeloupe) and she lived with me for 23 years. I took care of her, and I continue to do what needs to be done. People have always done this—being there for our loved ones, even when they’re no longer with us.”
Seeing Death Differently
Ginette and Uranie quietly pack up their tools to put them in their car. “Every island has its traditions,” Ginette points out. “All Saints’ Day, the Day of the Dead—it’s important. But what makes Saint Barth special is the beauty of its cemeteries. We’ve kept the spirit of the ancestors alive. There’s a sense of peace. It makes me think that they (the deceased) are at peace there. And besides, tourists also enjoy seeing how beautiful it is. It makes you want to go inside. Thanks to all of this, we might see death differently. There’s undoubtedly also that Catholic hope that even after death, life isn’t over.”
Ginette brings up another aspect of All Saints’ Day and the Day of the Dead: that of reunions and coming together. “It’s an opportunity to get together with family, but also to see people from other neighborhoods whom we don’t often run into,” she smiles.
In Saint-Jean, the ritual of the big cleanup
In Saint-Jean, the cemetery is slowly coming to life. Between the graves, memories are brushed away and careful hands go to work. We meet Cécile, who has come—as she does every year—to tend to the family plot, accompanied by her daughter.
A bucket of soapy water, a stiff-bristled brush, a sponge, and some elbow grease. This October, the Saint-Jean cemetery trades its usual silence for the murmur of conversation and the steady scrubbing of brooms. Here, All Saints’ Day is not just a date on the calendar: it’s an unmissable rendezvous with memory.
Leaning over the grave of her ancestors, Cécile works meticulously, under her daughter’s watchful eye. “Coming to clean the grave before All Saints’ Day isn’t a chore—it’s a given,” she confides, straightening her bucket for a moment. “It’s a way to take care of them, to let them know we haven’t forgotten them. It’s our way of honoring those who built our family.”
A Duty to Remember
As she goes through the familiar motions, time seems to stand still. Taking advantage of the All Saints’ Day school break to visit as a family has become second nature. For Cécile, this annual ritual is the perfect opportunity to pass the torch to the younger generation. “When we come here during the break, it’s a chance to share this experience together,” she explains. “We come to honor our departed loved ones, to remember those we miss, but we don’t do it with sadness. By cleaning the grave, lighting candles, and placing flowers, it’s a way of telling them they’re still with us and of shedding light on their memory.”
As flowerpots begin to add color to the paths, the Saint-Jean Cemetery is preparing for its traditional season of reflection. It’s a tradition that remains very much alive, sustained by the love and care that families continue to provide across generations.
