In France, Christmas is called Noel. This comes from the French phrase les bonnes nouvelles, which means "the good news" and refers to the gospel. It is a time of festivities and celebrations . The story of Christ's birth is re-enacted at the Cathedral square by players and puppets.
The midnight service on Christmas Eve is usually followed by a meal called le reveillon. The word reveillon means the first call of the day or in other words, the call to wake up. The feast symbolizes the spiritual awakening that the birth of Jesus Christ is believed to have brought in to our lives.
After the midnight service, the French head towards the many cafes and restaurants serving the reveillon, all night long. The meal, apart from its significance, is pretty delicious in itself. It includes mouth-watering delicacies such as oysters, baked ham, sausages, roast fowl, wine, salads and more. The Christmas cakes are usually decorated with sugars to resemble the holy child.
The French children have their own Father Christmas in Pere Noel. The kids leave their shoes out, before going to bed, hoping to find it filled with gifts the next morning. And Pere Noel has a partner too; La Pere usually gives a spanking to the bad kids. In northern France, it is customary to gift the children on the 6th of December i.e. Saint Nicholas Day, instead of the Christmas Day.
The French believe that Virgin Mary might pass their way on the night of Christmas or after, and keep candles alight after all the festivities are over. Pay a visit to our site
Christmas Carnivals.
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