Blogs - Ann Halpin's Blog

• French children place their shoes in front of the fireplace for Père Noël to fill them with gifts and candy.
• Père Noël  brings the gifts and his partner, Père Fouettard, delivers the spankings and keeps track of how well children are behaving.
• Since France is predominantly Catholic, Midnight Mass was a strong tradition in the past. Although Midnight Mass (la Messe de Minuit) is less frequent now, it is still traditional to have the large Christmas Eve feast (la Réveillon). Each region in France has its own specialty dishes for this special occasion.
• Only the very religious send Christmas cards in France, it is more common to see New Year’s cards.
• French homes are often decorated with the Nativity scene (crèche) or “little saints” (santons). The “little saints” are different than the traditional nativity scene. They can be bought at markets in southern France and they have a whole different Christmas story which includes the police, a miller, a dreamer, a vagabond and other unique characters.
• In southern France, some people still burn the Yule log. The Yule log is burned from Christmas to New Year to bring good luck to next year’s harvest.
•  The Christmas tree never caught on as it did in the US, and the traditional Yule log is fading as well. The French still bake a “Christmas Log” Bouche de Noël which is served at le Reveillon.

There is a legend that on Christmas Eve, the rivers turn into wine, animals speak to one another, mountains open revealing gems and church bells are heard from the bottom of the sea. These sights and sounds are only heard by the pure in heart.

• Christmas tree (Tannenbaum)
• Silent Night (Stille Nacht)
•  Advent Calendar (Adventskalender)
• Gingerbread
• Nutcrackers

• Children leave letters on their windowsills for Christkind, a winged figure dressed in white robes who distributes the gifts.
• Weihnachtsmann or Christmas Man (looks like Santa) also brings gifts.
• On December 6, children leave a shoe or boot outside the door and if they were good they’ll find presents or if they were bad they’ll find a rod.

• Celebrations begin on December 8 to observe the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Some families go to Seville for the celebration. In the cathedral in Seville, a group of boys perform Los Seises, a dance honoring the Virgin Mary. Other families decorate their balconies and burn candles in honor of the Feast.
• Children go caroling and reciting verses for candy.
• On Christmas Eve people light bonfires (luminarias) in public squares and put on plays depicting the shepherd’s adoration of the Christ Child (Las Pastores).
• Families fast during the day on Christmas Eve and go to Christmas mass together. After mass they feast on a traditional Christmas meal.
• On Epiphany, January 6, the Three Kings travel through Spain and leave gifts in children’s shoes that are set out. The children put straw in their shoes on the eve of Epiphany for the camels, and in return, the Kings leave gifts.
• Traditional food for Epiphany includes the Kings’ Cake, which has a small prize baked inside. The person to find it will have luck all year.
•  The Christmas season traditionally ends with a parade on Epiphany of the Three Kings and live animals.

• The Christmas season begins with the Novena, 8 days before Christmas Day.
• The Nativity, having originated in Italy, is quite popular still. St. Francis of Assisi, with the help of Giovanni Vellita, created the first Nativity scene, or Presepio. The Nativity Scenes can usually be found in people’s homes, and next to them is the Urn of Fate, which is filled with presents.
• Christmas Eve is the time for people to view the elaborate manger scenes and compare as they go from church to church to see the nativity.
• Burning of the Yule log. In the pagan tradition, this allows the year and its evils to be destroyed. In the Christian view, the Virgin Mary visits the home at midnight to warm the new baby, while everyone is at Midnight Mass.
• Most of the gifts are exchanged on Epiphany, rather than Christmas.
• Gifts are brought by the witch Befana, not Santa. The legend behind Befana is that she lived on the route the Three Magi took to visit Jesus. They stopped at Befana’s house for directions, food and shelter. At first she turned them away, then had a change of heart and went after them to invite them. She tried to follow them, following the same star they were following, but she never found the Christ Child, and has not given up trying. She rides around the world on her broom looking for the Christ Child and leaving presents in every house that has children in case one of them is the Christ Child.

- Cassandra Trachy