From history, France is catholic country which is why Christmas was celebrated. Nowadays, though it remains a catholic celebration, Christmas in France is more of a custom and is part of French culture. A lot of French people who celebrate Christmas in France are not catholic. They still gather with family and have a Christmas tree.
Apart from Easter, Christmas is probably the most important Catholic celebration of the year, and there is, like in most European countries, a Midnight Mass held in France. More and more people would rather go on the 25th though.
French Christmas Celebration Part 2 [NEW]
However, there is another famous celebration in some parts of France: la Saint-Nicolas. On December 6th, the traditional French version of Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, distributes sweets and gifts to children. Remember his scary sidekick though: le Père Fouettard!
Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas. This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself.[1] The meals are often particularly rich and substantial, in the tradition of the Christian feast day celebration, and form a significant part of gatherings held to celebrate the arrival of Christmastide.[2] In many cases, there is a ritual element to the meal related to the religious celebration, such as the saying of grace.[3]
On this page you can read some fun facts about Christmas around the world. Read how kids celebrate Christmas in different parts of the world and get some interesting insights about Christmas traditions and celebrations.
These parties are free to join for anyone with a Santa costume. Kick off a fun old family Christmas by heading to bars that host Xmas Carol Mega parties. A trip to Morzine, is a great way to enjoy a cocktail of a traditional yet contemporary France Christmas celebration.
A unique Christmas tradition in France, the Poinsettia flower (known as étoile de Noël in French) is a gorgeous red and green plant that, because of representing the traditional festive colors, has become an essential part of the Christmas celebrations in France.
This was due to the flock of immigrants fleeing from the regions of Lorraine and Alsace. People who refused to become Prussian had to leave their homeland. They brought with them the Germanic tradition of the tree. Therefore by the 1930s, the tree had become part of the Christmas celebrations in every French household.
It comes in different variants, usually puff pastry, or filled with almond paste and decorated with fruit candies. There is also a hidden knick knack inside the cake, usually a fava bean or a small figurine. Whoever gets the surprise item in his or her cake slice gets to choose a partner and together they will be given paper crowns and hailed the King and Queen of the celebration.
The midnight mass church service has traditionally been an extremely important part of the Christmas celebrations in France for centuries. It is still practiced, though church services on Christmas Day are becoming more popular in France in modern times.
Les papillotes are chocolates or candied fruits that are wrapped in sparkling gold, fringed paper. Inside the paper is a tiny note with some kind of inspirational saying, quote, Bible verse, or even joke. Les papillotes were invented at the end of the 1700s, just after the French Revolution, in Lyon, and have become a treasured part of the Christmas celebrations in France since then, and are still used today. Most modern French people use them to decorate their Christmas dinner table, and they are considered an essential part of the Christmas celebrations in modern France.
Like in other parts of the world, mistletoe is an important and popular part of the Christmas celebrations in France. However, what is strange is that, in a nation known for love and romance, mistletoe is not used as an excuse for kissing in France at Christmas. Instead, it is hung above doorways to bring luck for the upcoming year.
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! 2ff7e9595c
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