As New Year's Eve is fast approaching we thought we should take a look at how it is celebrated in France and see if we can point out some differences to where you live?

December 31st - New Year's Eve is called la Saint-Sylvestre and is celebrated with a feast by most people, called le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre unsurprisingly (31 December is his saint's day). The feast includes special items like champagne and perhaps controvertially foie gras, the accompanying party can range from an intimate dinner with friends to lavish public events most often called une soirée dansante (a dance ball).

Kissing under the mistletoe

At midnight, everyone kisses under the mistletoe and offers their best wishes for the new year. Kissing under the mistletoe? I hear you ask? well, interestingly, kissing under the mistletoe is a New Year's Eve / Day custom in France rather than a Christmas custom as in the UK and other countries. Note that the kissing may be on the lips or on the cheek, depending on the relationship between the two people so if you are not sure then start with the cheek and the French person will take the lead from there!

The end of the holiday season is Epiphany, on 6 January, although I have seen Christmas decoratyion still 'up' and illuminated at night almost as long as up to Easter!, Epiphany in France includes a traditional cake called la galette des rois but if you bite into one becareful as you may break a tooth on the cadeaux often found inside these cakes, but don't worry it means good luck!

Saint Sylvestre was Pope from 314 to 335 A.D., during the time of the rule of Constantine the Great. Although there is no actual link between Saint Sylvestre and the new year, it just that 31 December is his feast or Saint's day. La Saint-Sylvestre is feminine because it's short for la fête de Saint-Sylvestre.

New Year’s Traditions in France

Celebrating the New Year is a little different in France than it is in the UK or the US.

Cards.

I hope you were not offended if you got less Christmas cards this year, if it was your first year in france? the French people don’t send Christmas cards! they send New Year’s greeting cards instead, so they is hope yet. So if you are sending cards to people in France, you don’t have to rush, just catch the post for the week inbetween Chritmas and New Year.

People in France continue to wish each other la bonne année throughout the month of January! No interaction is complete in France in the month of January without starting your conversation with Meilleurs voeux (Best wishes).

Etrennes.

It is also common practice in France to give gifts of money to people who serve you on a regular basis, any tips to Cle France staff will be accepted merrily (LOL). The local firemen are the most proactive in my experience and they will knock on your door with the 'excuse' of selling you a calendar, even the garbage man in towns and cities (les éboueurs) may knock on your door. It’s the equivalent of their 13th month, and the French tend to be quite generous so if you want a good service you may have to dig deep.

Le Réveillon.

As you know by now the Christmas Eve dinner is known as le réveillon and so is New Year’s Eve dinner! so easy to remeber even after a galss or two! To distinguish the two, the celebration on the 31st is called la Saint-Sylvestre, or le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. The festive meal is similar to the one shared at Christmas – goose or turkey, oysters, foie gras, Boudin blanc – with the addition of copious amounts of champagne, bien sûr, and dancing and partying long into the night is normal and to be expected.

Metros and public transportation in the large cities are free for the evening to discourage drivers from taking to the road in their cars after indulging which is a very effective policy.

Midnight.

At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, expect to receive kisses on both cheeks and a hearty bonne année! Fireworks at private parties have been surpressed in the past years due to the dangers, but this is not the case for the local communes who often have a spectacular display and a party for all the villagers.

On New Year’s Day – le jour de l’an.

Parades fill the streets which you can watch in person, if you don’t mind the cold, or on TV from the comfort of your own home, friends house and even in the local sports bar, in fact anywhere where there is a TV it will be tuned to the local 'big town' celebrations!

The most famous New Year parade takes place in Paris every year. Thousands of performers from all over the world take part in the show with wonderful songs, dances and other cultural activities. The parade goes through the many districts and streets of Paris. Generally, it starts on 31st December and passes through Chantilly to reach Trocardero, under the Eiffer Tower on January 1st.

What about New Years Resolutions?

Le Jour de l'An is the day when people share their resolutions among near and dear friends, you may not get such a warm reply if you ask a neighbour what their resolution is, these are really kept between very close family members. Cards and gifts are exchanged on New Years Day, which reflect the mood and the spirit of the celebration.

This is the perfect time for family members and friends to be with each other. They dine together, have fun and form great memories. I have seen that the chef in the family will prepare heart or log shaped desserts, usually made from ice cream (don't worry these are also widely available in supermarkets across France).

People are highly excited and welcome the fresh year in whole-heartedly in France so all you need to do is join in, not that different to the UK or the US afterall, just jump in and have a good time seems to be the order of the day.

Bonne Année ! from Sharon, David, Simon, Alex and all the team at Cle France.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre (New Year’s Eve)

The new year (le nouvel an) is fast approaching.

In France, as elsewhere, New Year’s Eve (called le réveillon du jour de l’an) is typically celebrated with friends. It’s common to celebrate the new year with champagne and fireworks.

But did you know that, unlike in English, New Year’s Eve also has a different name? In French, New Year’s Eve is also known as le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre.

But who was Saint Sylvester?

Saint Sylvester was pope (pape) from 314 to 335 AD. Not much is known about his life, although the church grew in power during his tenure, erecting such monuments as Santa Croce in Jerusalem and the old Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Most of our common knowledge about Saint Sylvester is through unverified (and potentially fictional) stories about his relationship with the Emperor Constantine. One fictitious story stated that, upon administering blessed water, Sylvester cured Constantine of leprosy. Supposedly, it was Sylvester’s miracle that influenced Constantine to convert to Christianity.

The Feast of Saint Sylvester is celebrated around the world on December 31, because this was the day he died in 335. Today, many countries around the world—and not just France—refer to New Year’s Eve as Silvester, or a similar name in tribute of the ancient pope. For example, in Germany, Christian households traditionally celebrate Saint Sylvester’s Day by melting Silvesterblei (Silvester lead) in a spoon and dropping it into cold water, then divining the year ahead based on the shape of the cooled metal. In Switzerland, men dress as Silvesterklaus and ring large bells to welcome in the new year.

In France, la Saint Sylvestre is celebrated with friends, good food, champagne, and firecrackers or noisemakers. But there is one more tradition that is often reserved for this special day: le baiser sous le gui (kissing under the mistletoe). Unlike in some Anglophone cultures, where kissing under the mistletoe is a Christmas tradition, this ancient ritual is reserved for la Saint-Sylvestre in France.

Bonne année!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Check your Birthday and see what your name may have been if you were French !

In the past a French child would be given the name of the saint on whose day their own birth fell. More recently it has become more common for the saint's name to be given as a second or middle name. This means that children often have two special days to celebrate.

So what would your name have been if you were French? and your parents had named you after the saint day you were born on? check out your "Saint Day" name below.

Below is the most common used Saints Day listing, certain regions of France have variations.

January 1 Jour de l'An [Ian] January 2 Saint Basile January 3 Sainte Geneviève January 4 Saint Odilon January 5 Saint Edouard January 6 Saint Melaine January 7 Saint Raymond January 8 Saint Lucien January 9 Sainte Alix January 10 Saint Guillaume January 11 Saint Paulin January 12 Sainte Tatiana January 13 Sainte Yvette January 14 Sainte Nina January 15 Saint Rémi January 16 Saint Marcel January 17 Sainte Roseline January 18 Sainte Prisca January 19 Saint Marius January 20 Saint Sébastien January 21 Sainte Agnès January 22 Saint Vincent January 23 Saint Barnard January 24 Saint François January 25 Saint Paul January 26 Sainte Paule January 27 Sainte Angèle January 28 Saint Thomas January 29 Saint Gildas January 30 Sainte Martine January 31 Sainte Marcelle February 1 Sainte Ella February 2 Saint Théophane February 3 Saint Blaise February 4 Sainte Véronique February 5 Sainte Agathe February 6 Saint Gaston February 7 Sainte Eugénie February 8 Sainte Jacqueline February 9 Sainte Apolline February 10 Saint Arnaud February 11 Saint Séverin February 12 Saint Félix February 13 Sainte Béatrice February 14 Saint Valentin February 15 Saint Claude February 16 Sainte Julienne February 17 Saint Alexis February 18 Sainte Bernadette February 19 Saint Gabin February 20 Sainte Aimée February 21 Saint Damien February 22 Sainte Isabelle February 23 Saint Lazare February 24 Saint Modeste February 25 Saint Roméo February 26 Saint Nestor February 27 Sainte Honorine February 28 Saint Romain February 29 Saint Auguste March 1 Saint Aubin March 2 Saint Charles March 3 Saint Gwenolé March 4 Saint Casimir March 5 Saint Olive March 6 Sainte Colette March 7 Sainte Félicité March 8 Saint Jean March 9 Sainte Françoise March 10 Saint Vivien March 11 Sainte Rosine March 12 Sainte Justine March 13 Saint Rodrigue March 14 Sainte Mathilde March 15 Sainte Louise March 16 Sainte Bénédicte March 17 Saint Patrick March 18 Saint Cyrille March 19 Saint Joseph March 20 Saint Herbert March 21 Sainte Clémence March 22 Sainte Léa March 23 Saint Victorien March 24 Sainte Catherine March 25 Saint Humbert March 26 Sainte Larissa March 27 Saint Habib March 28 Saint Gontran March 29 Sainte Gwladys March 30 Saint Amédée March 31 Saint Benjamin April 1 Saint Hugues April 2 Sainte Sandrine April 3 Saint Richard April 4 Saint Isidore April 5 Sainte Irène April 6 Saint Marcellin April 7 Saint Jean-Baptiste April 8 Sainte Julie April 9 Saint Gautier April 10 Saint Fulbert April 11 Saint Stanislas April 12 Saint Jules 1er April 13 Sainte Ida April 14 Saint Maxime April 15 Saint Paterne April 16 Saint Benoit April 17 Saint Etienne April 18 Saint Parfait April 19 Sainte Emma April 20 Sainte Odette April 21 Saint Anselme April 22 Saint Alexandre April 23 Saint Georges April 24 Saint Fidèle April 25 Saint Marc April 26 Sainte Alida April 27 Sainte Zita April 28 Sainte Valérie April 29 Sainte Catherine April 30 Saint Robert May 1 Saint Joseph May 2 Saint Boris May 3 Saint Jacques May 4 Saint Sylvain May 5 Sainte Judith May 6 Sainte Prudence May 7 Sainte Gisèle May 8 Saint Désiré May 9 Sainte Pacôme May 10 Sainte Solange May 11 Sainte Estelle May 12 Saint Achille May 13 Sainte Rolande May 14 Saint Matthias May 15 Sainte Denise May 16 Saint Honoré May 17 Saint Pascal May 18 Saint Eric May 19 Saint Yves May 20 Saint Bernardin May 21 Saint Constantin May 22 Saint Emile May 23 Saint Didier May 24 Saint Donatien May 25 Sainte Sophie May 26 Saint Bérenger May 27 Saint Augustin May 28 Saint Germain May 29 Saint Aymard May 30 Saint Ferdinand May 31 Sainte Perrine June 1 Saint Justin June 2 Sainte Blandine June 3 Saint Charles June 4 Sainte Clotilde June 5 Saint Igor June 6 Saint Norbert June 7 Saint Gilbert June 8 Saint Médard June 9 Sainte Diane June 10 Saint Landry June 11 Saint Barnabé June 12 Saint Guy June 13 Saint Antoine June 14 Saint Elisée June 15 Sainte Germaine June 16 Saint Jean-François June 17 Saint Hervé June 18 Saint Léonce June 19 Saint Romuald June 20 Saint Silvère June 21 Saint Rodolphe June 22 Saint Alban June 23 Sainte Audrey June 24 Saint Jean-Baptiste June 25 Saint Prosper June 26 Saint Anthelme June 27 Saint Fernand June 28 Saint Irénée June 29 Saint Pierre June 30 Saint Martial July 1 Saint Thierry July 2 Saint Martinien July 3 Saint Thomas July 4 Saint Florent July 5 Saint Antoine-Marie July 6 Sainte Marietta July 7 Saint Raoul July 8 Saint Thibaud July 9 Sainte Amandine July 10 Saint Ulric July 11 Saint Benoart July 12 Saint Olivier July 13 Saint Henri July 14 Saint Camille July 15 Saint Donald July 16 Sainte Elvire July 17 Sainte Charlotte July 18 Saint Frédéric July 19 Saint Arsène July 20 Sainte Marina July 21 Saint Victor July 22 Ste Marie-Madeleine July 23 Sainte Brigitte July 24 Sainte Christine July 25 Saint Jacques July 26 Sainte Anne July 27 Sainte Nathalie July 28 Saint Samson July 29 Sainte Marthe July 30 Sainte Juliette July 31 Saint Ignace August 1 St Alphonse-Marie August 2 St Pierre-Julien August 3 Sainte Lydie August 4 Saint Jean-Marie August 5 Saint Abel August 6 Saint Octavien August 7 Saint Gaétan August 8 Saint Dominique August 9 Saint Amour August 10 Saint Laurent August 11 Sainte Claire August 12 Sainte Clarisse August 13 Saint Hippolyte August 14 Saint Evrard August 15 Sainte Marie August 16 Saint Armel August 17 Saint Hyacinthe August 18 Sainte Hélène August 19 Saint Jean-Eudes August 20 Saint Bernard August 21 Saint Christophe August 22 Saint Fabrice August 23 Sainte Rose August 24 Saint Barthélémy August 25 Saint Louis August 26 Sainte Natacha August 27 Sainte Monique August 28 Saint Augustin August 29 Sainte Sabine August 30 Saint Fiacre August 31 Saint Aristide September 1 Saint Gilles September 2 Sainte Ingrid September 3 Saint Grégoire September 4 Sainte Rosalie September 5 Sainte Raïssa September 6 Saint Bertrand September 7 Sainte Reine September 8 Saint Adrien September 9 Saint Alain September 10 Sainte Inès September 11 Saint Adelphe September 12 Saint Apollinaire September 13 Saint Aimé September 14 la Croix Glorieuse September 15 Saint Roland September 16 Sainte Edith September 17 Saint Renaud September 18 Sainte Nadège September 19 Sainte Emilie September 20 Saint Davy September 21 Saint Matthieu September 22 Saint Maurice September 23 Saint Constant September 24 Sainte Thècle September 25 Saint Hermann September 26 Sts Côme et Damien September 27 Saint Vincent September 28 Saint Venceslas September 29 Saint Michel September 30 Saint Jérôme October 1 Sainte Thérèse October 2 Saint Léger October 3 Saint Gérard October 4 Saint François October 5 Sainte Fleur October 6 Saint Bruno October 7 Saint Serge October 8 Sainte Pélagie October 9 Saint Denis October 10 Saint Ghislain October 11 Saint Firmin October 12 Saint Wilfrid October 13 Saint Géraud October 14 Saint Juste October 15 Sainte Thérèse October 16 Sainte Edwige October 17 Saint Baudouin October 18 Saint Luc October 19 Saint René October 20 Sainte Adeline October 21 Sainte Céline October 22 Sainte Elodie October 23 Saint Jean October 24 Saint Florentin October 25 Sainte Doria October 26 Saint Dimitri October 27 Sainte Emeline October 28 Saint Simon October 29 Saint Narcisse October 30 Sainte Bienvenue October 31 Saint Quentin November 1 La Toussaint November 2 Les Défunts November 3 Saint Hubert November 4 Saint Charles November 5 Sainte Sylvie November 6 Sainte Bertille November 7 Sainte Carine November 8 Saint Geoffroy November 9 Saint Théodore November 10 Saint Léon November 11 Saint Martin November 12 Saint Christian November 13 Saint Brice November 14 Saint Sidoine November 15 Saint Albert November 16 Sainte Marguerite November 17 Sainte Elisabeth November 18 Sainte Aude November 19 Saint Tanguy November 20 Saint Edmond November 21 Saint Albert November 22 Sainte Cécile November 23 Saint Clément November 24 Sainte Flora November 25 Sainte Catherine November 26 Sainte Delphine November 27 Saint Séverin November 28 Saint Jacques November 29 Saint Saturnin November 30 Saint André December 1 Sainte Florence December 2 Sainte Viviane December 3 St François-Xavier December 4 Sainte Barbara December 5 Saint Gérald December 6 Saint Nicolas December 7 Saint Ambroise December 8 Sainte Elfie December 9 Saint Pierre December 10 Saint Romaric December 11 Saint Daniel December 12 Ste Jeanne-Françoise December 13 Sainte Lucie December 14 Sainte Odile December 15 Sainte Ninon December 16 Sainte Alice December 17 Saint Gaël December 18 Saint Gatien December 19 Saint Urbain December 20 Saint Théophile December 21 Saint Pierre December 22 Ste Françoise-Xavière December 23 Saint Armand December 24 Sainte Adèle December 25 Jour de Noël December 26 Saint Etienne December 27 Saint Jean December 28 Saints Innocents December 29 Saint David December 30 Saint Roger December 31 Saint Sylvestre

Blog submitted by: David at Cle France.

Ghosts’n’Goblins: The Origins of Halloween

Soon, children in many countries will be donning their déguisements (costumes) and at crépuscule (dusk) will be headed out the door to make the rounds of their neighbourhood to celebrate Halloween.

Mais d’où vient cette tradition (But where does this tradition come from)? What exactly is Halloween? And does France even celebrate it?

 Image by Pedro Ferreira on Flickr

Halloween, also called Hallows’ Eve, has roots in l’histoire ancienne (ancient history). It can trace its lineage back to the Celtic calendar festival of Samhain (literally “end of summer” in Celtic) in Ireland and Britain.

November 1 was set apart as the day to commemorate la fin de l’été (the end of summer) and to celebrate les morts (the dead). The emphasis on the supernatural during Samhain gave the festival an aura of peur (fear) during which people made sacrifices to the Celtic gods who played tricks on them. Fires were lit to ward off spirits and disguises were often worn pour se cacher des fantômes (to hide from ghosts).

The Roman festivals of Feralia merged with the rituals of Samhain when the Romans conquered the Celts in the 1st century A.D., thus adding to the mystique and folklore of Halloween.

Six hundred years later, La Toussaint (literally “All Saints’” Day) was promulgated by Pope Boniface IV and was to be celebrated on May 13. Families would gather to pay respects to loved ones they had lost and to honor the saints. Durant le Moyen-Âge (During the Middle Ages) the Catholic Church was the most powerful institution and in the 8th century, Pope Gregory III changed the date of La Toussaint to November 1, possibly to overshadow the pagan holidays. October 31st of every year became a “hallowed evening” and thus the term “Halloween” came into being. Today, November 1st continues to remain un jour férié (public holiday) in France where schools, restaurants, post offices, banks and other businesses are all closed. A similar tradition to La Toussaint takes place au Mexique (in Mexico) between October 31st and November 2nd called Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) when those belonging to the Catholic faith visit les tombeaux (the graves) of their relatives to pay their respects.

Britain and Ireland continued celebrating Halloween as a secular holiday beyond the Middle Ages. British and Irish immigrants brought Halloween to the United States beginning in the mid-19th century and since then Halloween, much like Noël et Pâques (Christmas and Easter), has slowly morphed into a commercial “holiday” filled with costumes, trick-or-treating and copious amounts of bonbons (candy).

In France, Halloween has garnered little attention and is mostly a pretext for people to dress up and attend costume parties. Absent are the typical American costumes (superheroes) in favor of more macabre disguises (ghosts, zombies, etc.) typically associated with Halloween. Halloween remains an obscure holiday in France but you might find Jack-o’-lanterns and other decorations behind the windows of businesses and homes.

In honour of the holiday, a short 'scary' vocabulary list:

le déguisement, le costume – costume

se déguiser – to disguise oneself, dress up in a costume

une citrouille – pumpkin

la bougie – candle

les bonbons – candy

la peur – fear

avoir peur – to be scared

faire peur à quelqu’un – to scare someone

le sang – blood

les os – bones

le diable – the devil

le fantôme – ghost

l’épouvantail (m) – scarecrow

le sorcier/la sorcière – the sorcerer/the witch

l’araignée (f) – spider

la chauve-souris – bat

Will Halloween ever become a popular tradition in France?

It is doubtful. But the next time someone asks you about Halloween, you can impress them with your knowledge of its origins. If anything, it makes for good conversation.

Happy Halloween!

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

Halloween traditionally wasn’t celebrated in France and has only been exported to France is recent years from American traditions. You don't normally see children going around doing trick-or-treat in the streets of Paris or provincial France that much.

Rather, some friends would hold small Halloween parties and bars could have Halloween-themed nights. (Many people in France would indeed not enjoy being disturbed at night by children yelling, “frisandes ou bêtises”, the French equivalent of trick-or-treat, because it hasn’t yet entered French culture).

However, a national holiday that is very much observed by the French is related to Halloween and celebrated the following day (November 1). La Toussaint, meaning All Saints’ Day, is a Catholic holiday and schools and banks are typically closed in commemoration of the holiday. La Toussaint is a day that commemorates people who have passed.

Traditionally, November 1 (All Saints’ Day) would honour public figures who had died while November 2 (All Souls’ Day) would honour close friends and relatives who had passed. However, because La Toussaint is a day off, families traditionally combine these days of remembrance into one.

Typically, La Toussaint is commemorated by bringing flowers, most commonly chrysanthemums, to the graves of lost loved ones. Religiously observant people might attend a special church service or light a candle in honour of a loved one who is no longer with them. Walking around the streets of France, you can usually see chrysanthemums being sold in stores, florist shops, and out as decoration.

The tradition of laying chrysanthemums on graves for All Saints’ Day began following World War I, when the president requested on the first anniversary of the end of the war that soldiers who had died fighting for the country be commemorated by laying flowers on their graves. Chrysanthemums were the only flowers available at that time of year and so became part of the tradition.

If you’d prefer to celebrate Halloween rather than just La Toussaint, however, you can find some good celebrations in large cities, like Paris, in American bars or diners. Halloween parties can be advertised in English-language magazines such as Fusac.

However, the city that has most adopted Halloween traditions is not Paris, but Limoges. Limoges has hosted Halloween parades every year since 1996 and it is supposedly a sight to see!

Happy Halloween for the kids and Happy All Saints Day for the family!

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.