Noël en France. 'Merry Christmas' in French is 'Joyeux Noël. ' Father Christmas is le Père Noël.
When Do the French Celebrate Christmas? The date for the Christmas celebration in France is a bit flexible. The Christmas meal in France is called “Le Réveillon de Noël” and traditionally used to be held late in the night on December 24th, as people return from the midnight mass.
Santa Claus is called Père Noël in French or Father Christmas. Small children may also call him Papa Noël or Daddy Christmas.
Christmas in France is a major annual celebration, as in most countries of the Christian world. Christmas is celebrated as a public holiday in France on December 25, concurring alongside other countries.
Just like turkey is to Thanksgiving, a French Christmas main dish is almost always a large roasted “dinde” (turkey). A French Christmas turkey is traditionally made with a chestnut stuffing, and served with roasted potatoes, chestnuts and sometimes cooked apples around it.
In many countries, families gather and give gifts on Christmas Day. But French people tend to exchange gifts on the night of Christmas Eve (le réveillon (de Noël)), rather than on Christmas Day (Noël/le jour de Noël), although kids do often get their presents from le Pere Noël on Christmas morning.
Although the Père Noël largely resembles this image, there are a few differences that make him French – and no, it's not because he walks around with a baguette and cigarette in hand, nor does he say “Oh là là” instead of “Ho ho ho”. Here are a few reasons why the French Santa Claus is different.
Well, in North and North-Eastern France, children receive their presents much earlier in December on the 6th, which is St Nicholas' Day. There is an old folklore story told in France about three little children who get lost and captured by a wicked butcher, Père Fouettard.
Unlike in the UK and many other countries, French people tend to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day, although kids do receive their presents from Father Christmas on Christmas Day. As France is well-known for its cuisine, it's no surprise that Christmas is a very food orientated affair!
Le Réveillon de Noël
This is Christmas Eve dinner. At around midnight, French families eat a special meal to celebrate the very beginning of Christmas Day.
So more and more, French people celebrate Christmas on the 25th, with a late lunch (kind of like Thanksgiving in the US). First we have a drink of Champagne and some finger food as we open the presents, then a long, delicious, scrumptious French Christmas meal.
Some Christians attend special church services to honor St Stephen's life. Many people have a day off work in the Alsace-Moselle region of France. They may spend the day with family members and close friends or take trips to areas of France. December 26 is a normal working day in other parts of France.
1 – How To Say Merry Christmas in French
The most common way of wishing merry Christmas in French is to say “joyeux Noël !”. And it's enough, you don't have to add anything to it.
In France, all children are familiar with this version of Santa, who wears a red suit and travels by reindeer delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. His name is Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus from Dutch Sinterklaas (Saint Nick). Klass is the diminutive name for Nicholas.
In France, children leave out carrots and cookies in their shoes. The French make sure Santa Claus isn't hungry by leaving him treats — like biscuits — as well as carrots for the reindeer. They typically leave the goodies in their shoes and awake to find the food gone and presents in their place.
Huîtres, or oysters, are a classic French Christmas tradition (if you have the money to afford them), served with lemon and a shallot mignonette. In fact, seafood in general is pretty popular for the Christmas Eve meal, as it is in Italy where on Christmas Eve many celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Oh, and by the way, we don't send Christmas cards! Horrified yet? ? What we do is send greeting cards for the new year, called les cartes de voeux. We send them to our relatives and friends, as we wish them Nos meilleurs voeux/souhaits pour une très Bonne Année.
The first records of the word Noel in English come from the early 1800s. It comes from French Nöel—the French way of saying “Merry Christmas” is Joyeux Noël. The word derives from Latin word nātālis (diēs), meaning “birthday.” Another name for Christmas is Nativity.
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.
Here, we've gathered a sampling of our traditional French favorites: the wine-braised chicken stew coq au vin, the Provençal fish stew bouillabaisse, a vegetable-based take on French onion soup, and more. Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy cooking your way through these classics.
Public holidays in France, when most things are closed
The following days are public holidays ("jours fériés") in France, when most shops tend to be shut. Many tourist attractions remain open during Spring and Summer public holidays. On Christmas, New Year's Day, 1st May and 14th July, virtually all shops are closed.
But where does this tradition of closing on Mondays come from? The reason lies in France's enshrined labour code, the Code du Travail, which was first published in 1910.