Erin Caslavka
BellaOnline's French Culture Editor

Christmas in France

Christmas means many things to many people. For some, it’s a religious holiday to be spent in silent prayer and meditation, while for others it’s a joyous time to celebrate all that is good in life and share that with family and friends.

Recently, I came across a great new book: “Rick Steves’ European Christmas.” As I was planning to be in Europe myself over the holidays, I picked up a copy. In the first part of the book, Steves’ and co-author Valerie Griffith discuss the “meaning” of Christmas, and explain some of the traditions of the holiday. Then they take readers on a journey of exploration through seven different European countries.

I’d encourage anyone to pick up a copy of the book if you’re interested in seeing and reading about how people from other nations celebrate the holiday, but listed below are some of the tidbits they divulge about Christmas in France:

A French Christmas, write the authors, is a “low-key affair” meant to be celebrated with friends, family and food – most especially with Le Reveillon de Noel, or Christmas Eve feast. Traditionally, this meal was served after Midnight Mass. In the city, people go out for dinner, while in the country, most families enjoy dinner at home.

A multi-course affair, Le Reveillon includes appetizers, an entrée, dessert, cheese course, and – this being France – wine. Two of the most popular components are raw oysters (70% of the country’s annual total is consumed during the holiday season), and foie gras. The main course is usually goose or turkey.

A personal favorite of mine, the "Buche de Noel," is often served for dessert. The Buche de Noel is a sponge cake that’s rolled up and covered with chocolate buttercream frosting so it will resemble a small Yule log pulled inside from out of the woods. On top of the cake’s frosting you’ll find meringue mushrooms, berries, marzipan leaves, or small decorations all dusted with a coating of confectioner’s sugar "snow."

The book also explains that celebrations in the country begin “on December 6th with a visit from St. Nicholas. According to legend, St. Nicholas arrives with a little donkey carrying baskets filled with treats. This tradition is still re-enacted in some villages today. St. Nicholas, known as the protector of children, earned his kind reputation in France.”

Apparently, St. Nicholas has in some places morphed into Pere Noel, “a slimmer version of Santa Claus,” but one who nevertheless still sports a red and white fur ensemble, and is embraced by children and merchants everywhere.

As for inside the house, Steves and Griffith report that French families take santons (small clay figurines representative of village people and animals) and arrange them in a “crèche.” This is very similar to our nativity scenes, but seemingly they play a much more vital role in the celebration of Christmas in France.

As for outdoors, “In Paris, the Ministry of Parks and Gardens provides the city with 1,000 fir trees each Christmas season. About 300 of these firs ring the big roundabout intersection on the Champs-Elysees, where they’re decorated with tiny white fairy lights.” So Paris really does become the “City of Lights” during the Christmas season!

And if you’re lucky enough to be visiting France, and in particular Paris, over the Christmas season, make sure to visit the Eiffel Tower, where you can ride the elevator to the first level and glide on a sheet of ice at the outdoor ice-skating rink.

All-in-all, the Steves’ guide does a great job of opening the doors to a “Joyeux Noel” you can recreate in your own home, or one you can enjoy in France itself - if you’re lucky enough to find yourself there come Christmastime…

COMMENTS
Christmas in Paris! How THAT would be heaven! [Except for the raw oysters. Does anyone remember how Gilda Radnor's character 'Roseanne Rosanadana' on "Saturday Night Live" described eating one? An oyster has not passed my lips since. And one never will again.]

The magic that is Paris must be even more enchanting at Christmas. A walk along the Seine, a visit to Notre Dame, a light dusting of snow.....aahhhhhh!

In some regions of France however, you eat an austere meal the night before Christmas. It's austere by French standards of course.

Here are a few regional traditions I found on a French site. It does not mention what I was told in the 'old days' we ate lentils, 'chardons' which are technically thistles but, I guess they're a bit like artichokes, and a few other things that the Provencaux eat before Christmas day which is of course, a festival.

Another tradition in Provence is to have thirteen desserts. This one is still kept up in many homes I've been in, though the article is right that Noel is a much more intimate holiday than New Year's Eve. The thirteen is obviously for the twelve disciples and Jesus.
Le souper is eaten right before midnight mass.
The tradition varies according to the household, but I've often witnessed people saying, 'non non, I do have thirteen, look those are clementines and mandarines, that makes thirteen!'
You have the traditional cake made with olive oil, rather austere by what you think of French standards, you have fruits confits or fruit jellies, often made out of quince jelly and a few others.
Almonds, hazelnuts etc are always there.
It's really pretty to see it all displayed on the table too.
http://catholique-marseille.cef.fr/article.php?id_article=1429


At that time, the christ child is placed in the creche with the Santons.
Here in America, I had to put him in early, because I made my own little triptych background with a blue sky and a gold trim, but I didn't do the manger structure yet. I did get moss last year which they often do, and they also let wheat grass grow next to it about two weeks before Christmas.

Some people are really traditional in PRovence, they don't get out old Balthazar and his buddies until epiphany and they do not even cede to the temptation of eating the gateau des rois (aka galette in the north) until then. The bakeries and supermarket chains can't wait to make them so many people go ahead and get them.
You've got the bean or the little tiny santon made of ceramic inside it, and the ritual is neat.
My Christmas santons are this size and composed of all the santons they collected over the years in the cakes. I would like to have the 'normal' size ones, but they are becoming collector's items and incredibly expensive. They run about ten dollars minimum for a lamb or a donkey so I could only afford a few of them.
I have the display ones up all year though of the garlic man and his wife. Most households have them up in Provence.

The traditions of Provence are different but there are different ones in every region. The chorale acts out a Christmas play that includes figures who normally do not appear. I've seen it about twice. Some communities have a living creche.

As to the north, I lived there two years in Alsace Lorrain near the Strasbourg border with Germany. The St Nicolas festival is kept up as well. They really do parade through the streets with the Pere Fouettard scaring kids if they're bad. My children's school did pictures of them and the Saint Nicolas figure looks like a pope with a golden robe in some depictions. Most kids there get gifts then, then at Christmas.
Most of Northern Europe celebrates Saint Nicolas in some form or another.

Now the Italian kids are the luckiest however. They get Christmas and then, the Befana on January sixth. (hence the name coming from Epiphany) Their legend is that this old lady figure was helping the wisemen search for the Christ Child. She's a good witch, but now, I'm sure they're using Halloween witch type figures.
When I lived down on the border of Italy for several years, we'd go over there on Epiphany to see the displays or parades they had. Supposedly, she gives each kid a treat to hedge her bet (in case it's the Christ child).

As to the article though, you'll find that the decorations are much more discreet and even elegant in big cities like Paris.

Oh yes, one more custom I noticed when I lived there the first time and it's dying out. They play loto or bingo in the cafes with big prizes. The prizes are all displayed at the door or on the shelves. In the eighties, they had pheasants and boars just freshly killed and the boar would be hanging from the door.

Wow, talk about memories. I haven't checked if I was there Christmas day yet, but I think I was. This is one of my earliest memories, Christmas in Paris with my parents and mother's parents, in 1961. I was a year old, nearly two!

I have three memories as clear as any others, the funny little man who operated the wood panelled lift, who wore round wire glasses. Having breakfast when my mother took out my cereal from a box from home as she knew I'd prefer it, and walking along the road next to the hotel.

I do have a few other memories from 1961 but that's the place that clearly made the biggest impression on me. I've been back to Paris twice since then, the last time in 1976, but never at Christmas again.