French Culture – C’est Noël Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 25, 2018 in Culture, Vocabulary
Nous sommes le mardi, 25 décembre et c’est Noël! (It’s Tuesday December 25th… It’s Christmas!). Whether you are celebrating the holiday or partake of different seasonal traditions, it seems like a perfect time to highlight a few more of my favorite holiday traditions from France.
le sapin de Noël / Christmas tree
Here are some other of my favorite French traditions from last year.
And here you can find some great recipes to prepare for your own Noël à la française.
And if you’re looking for a fun holiday activity, or to brush up on your holiday vocabulary, click here.
La bûche de Noël / The Christmas log
Not to be confused with une bouche de Noël (Which isn’t a thing! What would you do with a Christmas mouth?!!), but to be eaten with your bouche (mouth), la bûche de Noël is the traditional dessert served at the end of the French Christmas dinner. Josh shared a great overview here a few years back. And this article from Le Figaro on line highlights cinq (five) unique bûches that you can enjoy if you happen to find yourself in Paris this Christmas. I especially like the looks of the “Sidéral*” “surmontée d’une fusée, d’une étoile filante et d’une planète … and expédiable par la Poste! … But probably not to the US 🙁 … (topped with a rocket, a shooting star and a planet … and deliverable by post).
Les crèches de Noël / Christmas nativities
What would Christmas be without the sight of a manager. The most famous French manger scenes feature les santons. Today les crèches come in many different shapes and sizes and you can see some truly amazing ones in Paris. According to the article, the most amazing is found at Saint-Séverin in the Ve (the fifth arrondissement). “L’or et la lumière, la blancheur de la porcelaine et le bois sont des symboles que l’on retrouve …” (Gold and light, the white of the porcelain and the wood are symbols that one discovers …). Pour ma part (For me), I prefer the featured crèche at Saint André de l’Europe (VIIIe) by Isabeau d’Abzac.
Et vous? Que sont vous meilleurs souvenirs de Noël? / And you? What are your favorite Christmas memories?
Joyeux Noël !
* Sidéral is a word that means of or relating to the stars, astronomical.
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About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.