French Christmas

Iosif-Popa Anca Mihaela Mocanu Andreea Georgiana Raicu Elena-Daniela Vasile Silvia Andreea

Christmas is celebrated differently around the world and Christmas celebrations even differ from country to country in Europe! In France, Christmas is celebrated unlike any other holiday celebration in the world. This season is very elaborate, even more than Christmas Time in America.

Tons of tourists head to France each year to take part in the beautiful season tidings. The food ranges from the beautifully handcrafted candies seen in store windows to the Christmas goose, the lights are stunning, and the traditions that make up a French Christmas are absolutely unbeatable and is an experience to be remembered. As the holidays differ in France than from the rest of the world, it is important to understand what makes it so unique.

In France, Christmas is a time for family and for generosity, marked by family reunions, gifts and candy for children, gifts for the poor, Midnight Mass, and le Rveillon. Most provinces celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December, which is a bank holiday. However, in eastern and northern France, the Christmas season begins on 6 December, la fte de Saint Nicolas, and in some provinces la fte des Rois is one the most important holidays of the Christmas season.

French Christmas Traditions

In some parts of France, Christmas comes early when Father Christmas, le Pre Nol, brings small gifts and sweets for children on December 6th, the feast day of Saint-Nicolas (celebrated in the North and Northeast). In other parts of the country, children place their shoes by the fire and wake up on Christmas Day to find them filled with presents from le Pre Nol and fruit, nuts and small toys hanging on the tree. Christmas Day is mainly a day of celebration for children.

The Crche

French homes are commonly decorated by a crche (nativity scene.) There are many beautiful handmade crche figures sold every Christmas season in Marseille and Aix where large Christmas festivals are annually held. Although, some French homes have Christmas trees, theyve never been highly popular and the focal point of Christmas in France has always been around the crche. Even now, in many Cathedral squares, the story of Christs birth will be re-enacted by players or puppets. Anyone visiting France during Christmastime should make sure they see a crche as it's definitely a must-see!

French Christmas Decorations

The sapin de Nol is the main decoration in homes, streets, shops, offices, and factories. The sapin de Nol appeared in Alsace in the 14th century, decorated with apples, paper flowers, and ribbons, and was introduced in France in 1837. In France, the Christmas tree first appeared in Alsace in 1521 and is called sapin de nol or arbre de nol. The tree, covered in red apples and lights, symbolised the venue of Christ: the light that illuminates the world. A fir tree is the best choice because they do not lose their leaves during winter, which doubles as a symbol of hope and eternal life. It is a more secular tradition than that of the Nativity and thus more appreciated by protestant countries such as northern Germany and Scandinavia.

French Christmas Food

The minute you take a step in France, youll notice the French are all about their food. France has rich culinary traditions which can be found in many of the wonderful foods prepared at Christmas Time. Christmas dinner menus vary depending on the region. In fact, France's cuisine is highly regional, so this makes sense when it comes to what's on the table on Christmas. For example, in the Alsace region, many families will feast upon goose for their main course. A Parisian meal may be made up of foie gras along with oysters.

French Christmas Desserts

Throughout the French Christmas season, there are special traditional desserts: La bche de Nol (Yule log) - A log-shaped cake made of chocolate and chestnuts. Representative of the special wood log burned from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day in the Prigord, which is a holdover from a pagan Gaul celebration. Le pain calendal (in southern France) - Christmas loaf, part of which is traditionally given to a poor person.

Treize desserts (in Provence) - nothing like going a little overboard during the holidays. La Galette des Rois (on Epiphany) - round cake which is cut into pieces and distributed by a child, known as le petit roi or l'enfant soleil, hiding under the table. Whoever finds la fve the charm hidden inside - is King or Queen and can choose a partner.

Buche de Noel

Bche de Nol is a traditional dessert served near Christmas in France. It can be considered a type of sweet roulade.

The traditional bche is made from a Gnoise or other sponge cake, generally baked in a large, shallow Swiss roll pan, frosted, rolled to form a cylinder, and frosted again on the outside. The most common combination is a basic yellow sponge cake, frosted and filled with chocolate buttercream; however, many variations on the traditional recipe exist, possibly including chocolate cakes, ganache and espresso or otherwise-flavored frostings and fillings

Bibliography:

http://french.about.com/cs/culture/a/christma s.htm http://www.french-cultureadventures.com/french-christmas-desserts.html http://allrecipes.com/recipes/worldcuisine/europe/french/desserts/ http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/france/ christmas-day http://www.the-northpole.com/around/france.html