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!
People come together in cathedrals and churches across the country to pray and sing carols (known as Chants de Noël). They celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, believed to have happened on that night. After the service, people return home to either sleep, eat, or open presents (for those with excited little ones).
Eating turkey is a widespread Christmas Eve meal tradition for many households in France. Recipes vary, but in France and Belgium, the Christmas turkey is often stuffed with chestnuts, whereas, in North America, it's often associated with crouton stuffing and cranberry sauce.
France's Christmas breakfast is full of sweet pastries. Many families will partake in pain au chocolat, croissants and brioche doughnuts. You may even find a quiche Lorraine on the table as well.
Eat: Peruvian Christmas Food
Like in many other countries, the focus of the dinner is roasted turkey. This is served with apple sauce, tamales (seasoned and often spicy corn cakes stuffed with pork or chicken wrapped in corn husks, a variety of colourful salads, potato dishes and rice.
Santa Claus is called Père Noël in French or Father Christmas.
In French Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Joyeux Noël'. In Breton (spoken by some people in Brittany, Northern France) it's 'Nedeleg Laouen', in Corsican it's 'Bon Natale' and in Alsatian (spoken by some people in Alsace, in Eastern France) it's 'E güeti Wïnâchte'.
Many people in France put up a Christmas tree, visit a special church service, eat an elaborate meal and open gifts on Christmas Eve. Other activities include walking in the park, participating in city life and sharing a meal with family and close friends.
Traditionally French children place their shoes in front of the fireplace hoping that Father Christmas or as he is called in France – Père Noël (or sometimes called Papa Noël) will fill them with gifts. Sweets, fruit, nuts and small toys are hung on the tree overnight.
Le Réveillon De Noël – christmas Eve
In France, they celebrate Le Réveillon… on the 24th December with family or close acquaintances in the form of a large meal. In Catholic traditions, there may also be a midnight mass. However, the meal is very important and is a rather festive occasion.
Marché de Noel
The marchés de Noel, or Christmas markets, are an important part of the French Christmas tradition. Beginning usually the last weekend of November and continuing until Christmas Day or into the New Year, little wooden stalls pop up in the center of villages and cities all over the country.
For example, for Americans, Christmas colors are red and green and Hanukkah colors are blue and white/silver. But in France, there's none of that going on at all.
Christmas crackers
Sadly, crackers have never become part of French Christmas traditions.
In England and Australia, you'll often hear Happy Christmas, but in the US and Canada, Merry is the star of the show.
The French word for Christmas, Noël, is masculine.
The most common way of wishing merry Christmas in French is to say “joyeux Noël !”.
? Santa Claus emoji
It is commonly used to refer to Santa Claus specifically, or Christmas and the Christmas holiday season.
The presence of hymns for the feast in the Georgian Iadgari demonstrates that it was celebrated in Jerusalem by the 6th century at the latest. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, AD 336. In the 3rd century, the date of the nativity was the subject of great interest.
Families usually kick things off by opening a bottle of fine Champagne, like the Champagne Paul Michel. Others may choose to begin with a traditional method French Crémant from the Loire, Limoux or Burgundy and bring out the Champagne later in the meal.
Crème brûlée is one of the most popular French desserts of all time, and for good reason. The two contrasting layers of luscious vanilla cream under a layer of crunchy caramelized sugar are a perfect marriage. This dessert stands out from all the rest.
Shoes by the Fire. In other countries, the tradition varies slightly with stockings and nibbles and drinks for Father Christmas, but French children leave their shoes by the fireplace in the hope that Father Christmas will fill them with presents.