Christmas in France begin many days prior to 25th December, the day when lord Jesus was born. Festivities and prayers for the well being of all, all throughout the year, mark this day. Little children excitedly wait for Pere Noel to come and distribute gifts to them. They keep shoes and wooden boxes outside to be filled with gifts around the fireplace before they go to bed. Not only are the homes decorated but also the shops, avenues and restaurants all are bedecked like fairyland. Lights are lit and the entire nation is illuminated.
Christmas in France also means exhibitions and annual fairs and these are thronged by visitors especially for the clay figurines and other articles throughout the month of December.
It is particularly chilly during Christmas in France and the heavy snowfall also fails to deter the celebrations or dampen the spirits. However there is a religious characteristic too, to the celebrations of Christmas in France. Each home around this time is seen impeccably decorated with a special place dedicated to the Nativity Scene called the ‘Crèche’. Miniature clay figurines depicting the shepherds and Magi are adorned here beside the Holy family. Giving a modern effect to this entire scene, craftsmen now also create figures in the lines of local celebrities and public figures. The customary cake or the ‘buche de Nol’ as it is popularly known, is baked in abundance and offered to guests. The baking of the Yule log shaped cake is time-honored and observed even today. The ‘Midnight Mass’, which is traditionally observed everywhere in Europe, is a principal custom here too.
All the members of the family attend the mass after which a late supper called ‘le reveillon’ awaits at their cozy homes. An extensive spread of delicacies ranging from turkey to goose to hot Chestnuts only completes the celebrations of Christmas in France.
On 6th of January the customary cake cutting ceremony or the ‘La Galette Des Rois’ mark the end of holidays and the New Year Celebrations in France. It is now time to get back to work and the final wait for another New Year in France is about to begin…
Christmas in France comprehensive information available at travel.mapsofworld.com
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