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The question “What is your least favorite day of the week?” only has one answer in Paris. That is Sunday. The dreaded dimanche.
While Sundays have the same flavor everywhere in the Western world, Parisians dread it more than any other Westerner. While other Westerners might dislike the bittersweet feeling of a weekend ending, a new work week soon to be started, Parisians just loathe Sundays altogether. Parisian Sundays are not bittersweet. They are bitterbitter.
Weekends for Parisians are not strictly moments of rest: they are implicit social challenges. Each weekend, Parisians need to accomplish things worth sharing with their friends or colleagues on Monday. Weekend descriptions always start in energy with Friday nights, Saturdays and Saturday nights. Weekend description at that point get thrilling: the Parisian can display his interests, purchasing power or connections. Monday morning coffee break turns into a fascinating social rundown. But the description stalls when Sunday is to be reported. “Et dimanche, pas grand chose, tranquillou, repos”. Plain Parisian lie: depressing boredom travestied as pleasant rest.
In more truthful conversations, Parisians happily agree that “ le dimanche, c’est horrible, c’est complètement mort, tout est fermé ”. Indeed. So dimanches in Paris come in three forms: all day at home, doing nothing; all day at home doing nothing except for lunch with the family or brunch with friends, or either option sprinkled with a movie at some point during the day. People going shopping in Le Marais on Sundays may well live in Paris but cannot be considered Parisians. Part of the Parisian identity is knowing that le dimanche is a lost day and not having any form of hope about it. If you have hopes for your Sunday, you’re a newbie or a tourist.
Parisians know that if reality is gray, a movie theater is a good place to try to reset its color for a while. Pitch black. Colors. Emotions. And the hope to keep sliding down that sweet toboggan for the rest of your Sunday. Paris is the city in the world with the greatest number of cinemas: they all manage to be obscenely busy on Sundays. Parisians – discretely – remain romantics. Hopeless but romantics.
Sunday being a day of minimal social efforts, the film will usually not be followed by a drink. Friends who share a movie on Sunday have reached a form of friendship that does not weigh itself down with unneeded exchanges. There is in this Sunday’s movies company an unspoken declaration of friendship: “Yes, my Sunday sucks but I’m happy to show that to you”. No masks needed. No extra conversations needed – the line was long enough: Demain sera un autre jour.
This Sunday movie has a Sunday taste. Good enough for the Sunday souls. Thankfully, sometimes, a good movie strikes the Parisian. In Paris more than anywhere else, a good movie irradiates the soul, it makes life shine simply more. With compelling simplicity, the much anticipated clear spell then cheekily seems to accomplish the impossible: turning gray day into sun day.
Useful tip: Museum? Escapade outside Paris? Sports? Sex? Reading?
Sound like a Parisian: « Tiens, dimanche, j’ai vu un film pas mal…».
Tags: cinema, Dimanche, Le Marais, movies, Paris, paris cinemas, Parisien, Stuff Parisians Like, Sunday, Sunday in Paris, what to do on a Sunday in Paris
im glad you’ve finally gifted us with a new post!! i’ve missed SPL!
FINALLY!!!!! Please-please-please post more!! Thank you.
I think I started hating Parisians the day I tried to go watch a film on a Sunday…
See, everywhere else I’ve lived, movie theaters are empty on Sundays, which means that for cinéphiles like me they’re movie heaven. You have a room almost all for yourself (except for a few people that are just like yourself and you can enjoy your film on a big screen with no disturbance, nothing but appreciation of the art of cinema…
As usual, Parisians had to spoil everything… If only those who crowd movie theaters on Sundays were the least into cinema, it would be tolerable, but they’re not.
After that incident I stopped going to cinemas on Sundays altogether in Paris, instead I went to the pub with my friends…
Eleni… Thank you very much. I have actually been writing a lot for the book – both in French and in English. Both manuscripts are now pretty much complete so I can start having a life again. Pleasure to be back I must say.
Will do. Until then – Nov 4 is the release date of the book in French.
Delma… Merci
D. Gator… God bless people who drink on Sundays.
Olivier,
this is the quintessence of your web site, just like sundays are the essence of Parisian Life
Stéphan
Oh, I see! I am about to move to Paris and I love Sundays…where does this leave me?
Stéphan… What? Boredom is the quintessence of my website
Check out the article “P’tits weekends” to know what to do with your Sundays. Bienvenue en tout cas!!
Vlr… With good memories. And a raincoat hopefully.
I always enjoyed going to the cinema on Christmas day in Paris. Finding a “V.O.” film that I could understand the hidden humor that doesn’t translate in subtitles made me feel less DENSE. After a few weeks of only understanding half the conversations around me, a film, even on a crowded Sunday, makes a difference! It is always surprising to hear who is laughing at idiomatic jokes in a crowded theater. Subtitles can be so inadequate.
Le comble du comble : regarder “les dimanches de Ville-d’Avray” un dimanche à Paris.
Sinon, j’ai trouvé à quoi me fait penser ton blog : aux “Carnets du major Thompson” de Pierre Daninos
Craigkite… Real Parisians don’t laugh though: they smile.
DelphineM… Que de références. Lecteurs cultivés – Olivier flatté.
Didn’t Aznavour say something like this 50+ years ago?
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Ever since I grew up and stopped going to Mass on Sunday morning, and instead could sleep late, Sunday is the perfect day. But I will now know NOT to go to the cinema while in Paris on a Sunday.
I WILL be in Paris Nov.4! So I can be there for the celebrations of your book’s release!
Try spending a Sunday in Clermont-Ferrand….woowee that sure is a treat of tranquillité
Jay… Hmmm… not sure really!!
Ruth… I like Sundays in SoCal too. Exciting times ahead for sure!!
Michelle… You win.
Well, this post has defined for me, finally, the feeling I get on Sundays. I never knew why I felt anxious! Now I do, thanks to you.
LOL!