Christmas in France

Christmas in France

~Blog post #2~

April 12, 2015

By Megan Rediger

            Christmas is one of the biggest holidays of the year in France. Although it is very similar to how we celebrate Christmas in the United States, it is also very different than what we do. We tend to just celebrate Christmas Eve and Day, but in France, this can vary. Some provinces celebrate Christmas a little earlier than usual. In northern and eastern France, Christmas can be celebrated starting December sixth. However, most provinces celebrate on December twenty-fifth. Something that I found pretty interesting was a tradition called Le Reveillon. After midnight mass, families have a feast in the late hours of the night. People either go to a restaurant or dine at home after mass. Since this meal is later at night, it tends to be a little lighter than their hearty seven-course meal. On this night, families tend to eat goose or turkey as their main dish. Also, duck, ham, or fish can be served as well. This is usually stuffed with a chestnut stuffing. Entrees can include oysters and caviar. To top off the night, boudin blanc is served, which is like white pudding. Christmas Day consists of even more food. Honestly, I don’t know how these French people can do this; it’s so much food! One Christmas dessert that is very popular is la buche de Noel, which is a log-shaped cake. This cake is made out of chocolate and chestnuts and represents a wood log that is burned from Christmas Eve to New Years Day. Christmas brings the whole family together, especially because of all these meals that they have.

Lawless, Laura K. "Christmas in France - French Christmas Customs and Traditions." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

"Preparing a French Christmas: It's All about the Food." Preparing a French Christmas: It's All about the Food. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Recipe for la buche de noel: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buche-de-noel/