CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!

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CHRISTMAS WORDS IN FRENCHSanta Claus- Pere Noel or Papa Noel

Merry Christmas- Joyeux Noël!

Christmas Eve- La Veille de Noël

Christmas tree- Le sapin de Noël

Elf- Le lutin

Mistletoe- Le gui

Present- Le cadeau

Reindeer- Le renne

Sleigh- Le traineau

Snowflake- Le Flocon de Neige

Snowman- Le Bonhomme de Neige

Toy- Le jouet

CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE•Christmas time in France is when you get together with your family• It is time for generosity•Christmas celebrations in France vary on the regions you visit•Different provinces celebrate Christmas on different days

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS!• Give gifts to the poor• Have family reunions• Give candy to the kids• Le Reveillon• Kids put their shoes in front of the fireplace, so that Papa

Noel also known as Pere Noel, will fill them with gifts• Christmas trees in France are decorated with candy,

fruits, nuts, and tiny toys• There is also Pere Fouettard who punishes the bad

children, sort of like Santa Claus giving bad kids coal

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

• The main decoration in homes, streets, shops, offices, and factories is Sapin de Noel. It was introduced to France in 1837. Sapin de Noel is the French word for Christmas tree.• The Christmas tree is decorated with apples, paper flowers, ribbons, and ornaments. • Another common decoration is crèche filled with santons.•Mistletoes are also hung outside on the door in France to bring good fortune throughout the year.

Creche filled with santons

Sapin de Noel

CHRISTMAS EVE DINNERChristmas eve dinner in France includes:• Fish•Goose• Cookies • Cinnamon, almond, and cherry soup• Crepes • 7 meatless dishes• Treize Desserts•Different types of cheeses

LE REVEILLON• Le Reveillon is a huge feast• Symbolic awakening to their God’s birth•High point in Christmas season• It can be at home, in a restaurant, or a café, if it is open all night• Each region has their own traditional menu for Le Reveillon, which may include goose, chicken, capon, turkey stuffed with chest nuts, oysters, and boudin blanc(similar to white pudding).

CHRISTMAS DESSERTS• La buche de Noel also known as Yule log is a log shaped

cake with chocolate and chestnuts, it represents a special log burned from Christmas eve to New Years Day• Le pain calendal is a Christmas loaf, which is given to

the poor• Treize Desserts is thirteen desserts that are eaten after

Gros Souper, there must be atleast thirteen desserts, each guest has to have atleast one bite of each dessert• La Gallete des Rois is a round cake that is cut into

pieces distributed by kids, inside the pieces of cake lays a charm, whoever finds the charm also known as la feve is then considered as the King or Queen.

La buche de Noel

La Gallete des rois

Treize Desserts

THE YULE LOG CAKE AND IT’S HISTORY

• The Yule log cake is a rolled, sponge cake with cream inside, frosted with chocolate buttercream, which helps it looks like a tree log.• The Yule log cake is decorated with various types of

edible items.• The Yule log cake is named after a large wooden log

that is burned in the hearth as a part of French traditions called the Yule log. The Yule log is also related to the winter solstice, twelve days of Christmas, Christmas Day, and the twelfth night.• An interesting fact about the Yule log cake is that nobody

knows who actually made the first one.

INTERESTING FACTS • Christmas puppet shows and plays are very popular in France, especially in Lyon and Paris.• The top three places to visit when celebrating Christmas in France is Strasbourg, Paris, and Aix-en-Provence.• Kids in France open gifts on Christmas Eve. • Christmas in France is celebrated on December 6th.• In France Santa Claus is known as Father Christmas.

WORKS CITEDHanson, Rachel. French Christmas Traditions. n.d. http://french.lovetoknow.com/French_Christmas_Traditions

Yan, Alex. French 9: Christmas in France. 8 January 2014

https://prezi.com/l5gh6pog95qx/french-9-christmas-in-france/

Toast, Sarah. Christmas Traditions Around The World. 30 October 2006.

http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-ga5.htm