Beheading Bottles of Champagne
A tradition that is popular at weddings is beheading bottles
of champagne using a specially-made saber. The tradition originated
in the time of Napoleon when the Hussards under the famous
general’s command began celebrating victories by swinging
a sabre and thus neatly slicing the top off a champagne bottle.
According to legend, the Hussards, skilled cavalry, would
ride up at full gallop to one of the ladies holding up the
bottle and with one swipe, behead the bottle.
Christmas Many old French traditions are related
to the holiday season. Holding a puppet show on Christmas
eve is very common and later at midnight, people attend church
for the traditional Christmas Mass. After mass, they have
a late Christmas Eve dinner, called le Réveillon
(referring to the wake up or revival, alluding to the birth
of Christ). Menus for this occasion change according to the
region you are in but will usually consist of dishes containing
turkey, capon, goose, chicken, and boudin blanc (white
pudding).
Children wait for Père Noël (Santa
Clause) and leave their shoes out in front of the fireplace,
doping presents will fill them by morning. The tree is hung
with nuts and candy. Children also believe in Père
Fouettard who hands out spankings for anyone who’s been
naughty.
Easter Called Pâques in France, this is
a very important time for the French, who have a strong Christian,
and especially Catholic, background. According to tradition,
no church bells are rung on the Thursday before Good Friday
and remain silent for several days, until on Easter Sunday,
they revive. As the bells toll, the custom is for people to
hug and kiss each other.
Flying Bells Children don’t look for eggs left
by an Easter Bunny… rather, the French believe that
the Flying Bells leave on the Thursday before Good Friday,
taking with them all the grief and misery of mourners of Christ’s
crucifixion, reaching Rome to see the Pope and then come back
on Easter Sunday morning bearing chocolate easter eggs, which
are hidden around houses and gardens for children to find.
Poison d’Avril This is the name used for the French Easter
Fish and also comes in a chocolate version. An age-old tradition
however, that dates back several centuries, involving the
Poison d’Avril, takes place on April 1st. The great
joke is for children to make fish of paper and pin as many
as possible to the backs of adults, then run gleefully away
yelling “Poison d’Avril!!”, which is a little
like saying “April Fools!”
Bastille Day
Celebrated on July 14, this is one of France’s most
colorful traditions. The day commemorates the day The Bastille,
a prison in Paris that was regarded as the symbol of the much-hated
French monarchy of the times, was stormed and pillaged by
angry mobs of French citizens in 1789. Called La Fête
Nationale, many fireworks are set of as the day goes by, well
into the night. Parades are also to be seen with dancing in
the streets.
5-Week Holidays Another interesting tradition of the French
is the fact that almost all employees are entitled to 5 weeks of
holiday a year. August has been the traditional holiday month
in France, with almost all locals clearing out of their cities
to venture to other parts of the world or simply to go camping
in their own countryside. For those taking their holidays
during the winter months, skiing in the French Alps is the
way to go.
