French Christmas traditions

On December 24, the French have a special dinner called Christmas Eve celebrations. Usually with family, but also they sometimes invite close friends.

Catholics go to mass before dinner. They often call this Mass the Midnight Mass because before it was traditionally at midnight but now it is no longer the case, it is rather around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.

The Christmas meal is traditionally composed as follows. After the aperitif, they eat as a starter: oysters, foie gras, snails or smoked salmon. The main course is very often a turkey, accompanied by chestnuts and sometimes white or black pudding. Finally, the most popular dessert on the tables is the Yule log -  a cake with chocolate that has the shape of a log, that is, the cylindrical pieces of wood that we put in the fireplace to make a fire.

They usually accompany the meal with good wines!

So on the night of December 24th to 25th, Santa Claus pass to bring the gifts! He places the gifts at the foot of the tree and next to everyone's shoes to find out which gift is for whom!

And besides, they also do the crib.

And the next morning is one of the happiest times of the year for children as they discover and open all the presents like crazy!

So the 25th is a public holiday, meaning people don't work and they often have lunch with the other family, that is to say with in-laws.

They also sing some typical carols like “Douce nuit” or “Vive le vent” but not as much as in other countries, such as Spain where it is very typical to sing Christmas carols.


At the end, I would like to wish you a happy Christmas spent with your family or friends. 🎄🎅



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