A look back at… Halloween
Whilst the Halloween night was widely feared in France – though it ultimately turned out to be calmer than expected, despite several rowdy parades and a few incidents, particularly in Paris – in Saint-Martin, apart from a few eggs being thrown and some lively shaving-foam fights, the evening of 31 October was largely characterised by celebrations and a costume parade.
Creative thrills at the Baie Orientale fair
In the village square of Baie Orientale, overrun with little monsters of all kinds, eager to collect sweets (no fewer than 10 kg of sweets were handed out by the BO Ti Marché association, the event’s organiser), the adults were not to be outdone! They, too, turned out in great numbers to parade in their festive fancy dress… and it was rather impressive. The top three places in the best costume competition were won by a magnificent ‘Muerte’, a mind-blowing ‘Ursula’ and a very strange ‘veiled woman with a skull’ and her enigmatic book of blood… because winners had to be chosen, though let’s admit that this year, creativity and imagination were in abundance. Around ten winners were rewarded with prizes donated by the market traders (T-shirts, dresses, bags, caps, candles, jams) and by the restaurants in the square (in the form of vouchers for a meal).
Thrills and spills at the Noctambule
Costumes were also very much in evidence at the Noctambule. The 60 trail runners taking part in the technical 8 km race and the 240 participants (children and adults) in the 4 km race all vied to be the most imaginative in the hope of winning the ‘pumpkin’ prize for best costume. Well done to Lina and Mathilde, the winners, Jordane in second place, and Seb in third!
As for the race results, the 8 km was won by Gautier Mathieu Fossey (0:51:29), ahead of Grégory Pigeon (0:52:22) and Vincent Accattato (0:57:03) in the men’s race, and in the women’s race by Agnès Puigcerver (1:07:45), ahead of Anne Roehrig (1:09:40) and Cyrielle Chiffre (1:12:13).
Musical thrills and storytelling
On a different note, during the Halloween party organised by ‘l’Univers de Manou’ on the Marigot seafront, the attendees may not have been in fancy dress, but they certainly experienced thrills thanks to the talents of storyteller Teacher Samy, along with musicians and singers who captivated the audience with tales from a bygone era. To the sound of traditional instruments, the tales and legends of the Caribbean came to life, in an atmosphere steeped in nostalgia, yet decidedly contemporary given the children’s enthusiasm and participation. Far from screens and artificial intelligence, young and old alike rediscovered the joy of stories that you listen to, imagine and sometimes even experience… just as in days gone by, just before the lights went out. A lovely way to spend a Halloween evening.
