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Like many other French customs, Christmas traditions show a lot of variation between one region and another. However, there are certain typical features of a French Christmas.
In many places, it starts early, on the feast of St Nicholas (6 December.) On this day ‘good’ children may receive presents, and traditionally for ‘naughty’ ones there is the threat of a visit from ‘Pere Fouettard, the scary partner of Pere Noel/Father Christmas (le fouet means ‘whip’.) Christmas proper begins on 24 December. Many people still go to church for a Midnight Mass, but even if you don’t do that, it is still usual to stay up late and have a special late supper. This has all kinds of regional variations, but seafood, salmon, goose and capon are all possibilities. One very popular French Christmas dish that has spread to other countries is the Buche de Noel or Christmas log – the famous chocolate log, in France typically with a butercream or chestnut filling.
One unique custom still found in many parts of France is the tradition that one person from the family or party is chosen to be ‘king or queen for a day’ – traditionally, a cake was passed round and whoever got a certain special token in his or her slice would be ‘crowned.’ The king or queen then chooses a consort and the two of them are officially the heads of the house for the whole day.
Christmas also continues into the New Year – the ’12 days of Christmas’ are often marked by another celebration of the Epiphany (known in France as the Feast of the Kings) on 6 January, when another special cake is eaten.
In many places, it starts early, on the feast of St Nicholas (6 December.) On this day ‘good’ children may receive presents, and traditionally for ‘naughty’ ones there is the threat of a visit from ‘Pere Fouettard, the scary partner of Pere Noel/Father Christmas (le fouet means ‘whip’.) Christmas proper begins on 24 December. Many people still go to church for a Midnight Mass, but even if you don’t do that, it is still usual to stay up late and have a special late supper. This has all kinds of regional variations, but seafood, salmon, goose and capon are all possibilities. One very popular French Christmas dish that has spread to other countries is the Buche de Noel or Christmas log – the famous chocolate log, in France typically with a butercream or chestnut filling.
One unique custom still found in many parts of France is the tradition that one person from the family or party is chosen to be ‘king or queen for a day’ – traditionally, a cake was passed round and whoever got a certain special token in his or her slice would be ‘crowned.’ The king or queen then chooses a consort and the two of them are officially the heads of the house for the whole day.
Christmas also continues into the New Year – the ’12 days of Christmas’ are often marked by another celebration of the Epiphany (known in France as the Feast of the Kings) on 6 January, when another special cake is eaten.
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