French Christmas Traditions - Alpine French School (2024)

FAQs

French Christmas Traditions - Alpine French School? ›

Christmas Dinner

Similar to American traditions of hanging a stocking on the mantle, French children will leave their shoes by the fireplace in hope that Père Noël, or Father Christmas, will fill them with presents. There's also a baddie Santa called Père Fouettard who travels with Père Noël and leaves all the naughty children coal.

What is Christmas like in France? Forget about stockings, it's all about the shoes as each child leaves a pair of their own shoes at the foot of the Christmas tree before going to bed on Christmas Eve. This means Father Christmas will know exactly where to leave everyone's presents.

While the food tradition varies from region to region, the meal is full of lavish delicacies including oysters, foie gras, escargot, and roasted fowl. The Le Réveillon feast is traditionally accompanied by wines such as Anjou, Champagne, Muscadet, and Sauternes.

In English this is known as Candlemass. This falls 40 days after Christmas and signifies the day that Jesus was presented at the temple. The festival was created in 472 by the Pope The name 'Chandeleur' comes from the candles that were traditionally used on this occasion.

According to tradition, on Christmas Eve children leave their shoes by the fireplace filled with carrots and treats for Père Noël's donkey, Gui (French for "Mistletoe") before they go to bed. Père Noël takes the offerings and, if the child has been good, leaves presents in their place.

French schools have five holidays during the year: All Saints 'autumn' break, Christmas, winter break, spring holiday (Easter), and the summer holiday. The breaks are usually two weeks except for summer holidays which last eight weeks.

Just before bed, children all over France put their slippers by the fireplace or underneath the tree in hopes that Père Noël will fill them with small gifts. In Burgundy, the children tuck an orange and a star-shaped cookie in their slippers to thank Père Noël in advance for his generosity.

Dishes might include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a bûche de Noël is normally eaten. Another celebration, in some parts of France, is that 13 different desserts are eaten!

Dessert may consist of a Yule log, known as a bûche de Noël. In Provence, the tradition of the thirteen desserts is followed: 13 desserts are served, almost invariably including pompe à l'huile (a flavoured bread), dates, etc.

What is the dessert that the French eat at Christmas? ›

Bûche de Noël is a traditional French Christmas dessert shaped and decorated like a log. This recipe takes some time, but we promise it's worth it.

“Réveillon” comes from the French word “réveil,” meaning “to wake up.” In the 19th century, it was practically required of all good French Catholics to stay up late and attend midnight mass — to be in church the moment Christmas Day began and hear the hymn “Minuit, chrétiens” (known in English as “O Holy Night”).

Crêpes: A Symbol of Renewal and Good Luck

The circular shape and golden color of crêpes represent the sun, heralding the end of winter and the approach of spring.

In France, Pancake Day, is celebrated on the 2nd of February and is called La Chandeleur or Candelmas in English. It marks the end of the Christmas period coming exactly 40 days after Christmas Eve.

French crepes were very popular because they were cheap to make and did not use many raw ingredients. Poor families could use leftover buckwheat porridge to make buckwheat crepes and minimize food waste. Nowadays, crepe restaurants, or "crêperies," are a common fixture in many French and European cities.

Christmas Dinner

Dishes might include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a bûche de Noël is normally eaten. Another celebration, in some parts of France, is that 13 different desserts are eaten!

Père Noël, much like Father Christmas or Santa, is generally seen in France as a kindly old man with a white beard, wearing red robes with white fur lining. Since the first references to this character, which appeared in the 19th century, he has become a central image of Christmas for French children.