12 Days of Christmas: French traditions

In France, Christmas is a time for the family to reunite, and also for people to be generous. Nearly every home displays a crèche populated with santons, as well as a sapin de Noël. Children leave their shoes or sabots by the fireplace to be filled with presents.

The celebration of Christmas varies by regions: most provinces celebrate it on the 25th of December, but in the eastern and northern parts of the country, it starts on December 6th with the celebration of la fête de Saint Nicolas. In Lyon, on December 8th they celebrate la Fête des Lumières, when Lyonnais put candles in their windows to light up the city, paying homage to the Virgin Mary.

In general, people attend la Messe de Minuit on Christmas Eve when they sing les chants de Noël, followed by a big dinner, called le Réveillon. The menu varies by regions, with dishes including la dinde aux marrons, les huîtres, l'oie, and boudin blanc. For dessert, they serve the traditional bûche de Noël.

Vocabulary:
Joyeux Noël = Merry Christmas!
crèche (la) =  nativity
santons (les) = little saints; little clay figures representing the Holy Family, the shepherds, and the Magi, but also local dignitaries and characters.
sapin de Noël (le) = Christmas tree
sabots (les) = wooden clogs
Messe de Minuit (la) =  Midnight Mass
chants de Noël (les) = Christmas carols
dinde aux marrons (la) = turkey stuffed with chestnuts
huîtres (les) = oysters
oie (l') = goose
boudin blanc = white pudding
bûche de Noël (la) = yule log; a log-shaped cake made of chocolate and chestnuts. Representative of the special wood log burned from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day in the Périgord, which is a holdover from a pagan Gaul celebration.

Recipe:

Bûche de Noël

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 6 egg whites 1/4 cup white sugar confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whip cream, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until thick and stiff. Refrigerate.
2.	In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale. Blend in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and salt. In large glass bowl, using clean beaters, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, and beat until whites form stiff peaks. Immediately fold the yolk mixture into the whites. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3.	Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Dust a clean dishtowel with confectioners' sugar. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and turn the warm cake out onto the towel. Remove and discard parchment paper. Starting at the short edge of the cake, roll the cake up with the towel. Cool for 30 minutes.
4.	Unroll the cake, and spread the filling to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll the cake up with the filling inside. Place seam side down onto a serving plate, and refrigerate until serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Chants de Noël
These are a few of the most popular Christmas carols in their original French version.

Douce nuit (Silent Night)

Douce nuit, sainte nuit !
Dans les cieux ! L'astre luit.
Le mystère annoncé s'accomplit.
Cet enfant sur la paille endormit,
C'est l'amour infini,
C'est l'amour infini ! 

Mon beau sapin (O Christmas Tree)

Mon beau sapin,
Roi des forêts,
Que j'aime ta verdure.
Quand vient l'hiver
Bois et guérets
Sont dépouillés
De leurs attraits.
Mon beau sapin,
Roi des forêts,
Que j'aime ta parure.

Falalalala (Deck the Halls)

Que l'on chante qu'on s'apprête
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Sonnez pipeaux et trompettes
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Car c'est la joie qu'on apporte
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Ouvrez donc grandes vos portes
Fa la la la la, la la la la.