Joyeux Noël

Happy Halloween!

La Saint Valentin!

Le 14 février, c’est La Saint Valentin, la fête de l’amour et des amoureux. Careful though – unlike English cultures, Valentine’s Day in France is only for people “in” love, not just loving/friendship gestures.

In France, school children do not give a Valentine to all their friends and family. If they have a special “love” interest (un amoureux, une amoureuse) and if they are not shy, they might, but it’s quite different from the US on this aspect.

Otherwise, Valentine’s Day in France is celebrated a bit like it is in the rest of the world – chocolates, roses, jewels for the wealthiest…a romantic restaurant or evening…Sometimes a card, but much less than in English cultures and again, only for romantic interests.

So, don’t go about sending all your French friends a friendly Valentine’s Day card, they may get the wrong impression!

The verb AIMER means a lot of things in French: to like, to enjoy, to love, as well as to be in love. It is very important that you know how to use it correctly so you avoid embarrassing mistakes. For example:

1.     To say to like or enjoy something or someone, use the verb AIMER with an adverb.

-       J’aime bien Mary - I like Mary (“like” for friendship)

-       J’amie beaucoup  Mary – I like Mary a lot ( friendship)

-       Je t’aime bien – I like you

2.    When you use the construction AIMER + person’s name, without any adverb, it means you are in love with that person.

-       J’aime Mary – I am in love with Mary (love)

-       Je ne t’aime pas – I am not in love with you

EXCEPTION

You can use AIMER without an adverb with your immediate family (parents, siblings, children, pets) to say that you love them, but NEVER with your friends.

Contrast:

Je l‘aime – I’m in love with him/her

Je l’aime bien – I like him/her

French Love Vocabulary

·      L’amour – love

·      L’amitié – friendship

·      Je t’aime – I live you (using tu)

·      Je vous aime – I am in love with you (using vous)

·      Je l’aime – I am in love with him/her

·      Je suis amoureux / amoureuse de toi, lui, elle, vous…- I am in love with you, him, her, you

·      Tomber amoureux / amoureuse – to fall in love (not tomber en amour which is used in Canadian French but not in France)

·      Est-ce que tu veux sortir avec moi? – would you like to go out with me

·      A kiss – un baiser, un bisou

·      To kiss – embrasser, s’embrasser

·      Les fiancailles – engagement

·      Se fiancer – to get engaged

·      Un fiancé / une fiancée – someone you are engaged to

·      Joyeuse Saint Valentin – Happy Valentine’s Day

·      Tu veux etre mon valentine / ma valentine? Would you be my valentine?

French Love Nicknames

As in other languages, French has its own little words or names to call a love one.

·      Mon amour – my love

·      Mon ange – my angel

·      Mon trésor – my treasure

·      Mon coeur – my heart

·      Mon chou – my sweet bun (Un chou a la crème is a cream filled pastry) – “mon petit chou” is also quite common

·      Mon lapin – my rabbit

·      Mon poussin – my chick

·      Mon chéri / Ma chérie – my darling

Joyeuse Saint Valentin!!!

2 Fevrier - Fête de la Chandeleur …et Dégustation de Crêpes!

In France, the month of February starts with the celebration of La Chandeleur  (Candlemas) – which occurs on the 2nd, which is 40 days after Christmas.

The origins of la Chandeleur date back to a pagan feast: according to local customs, candles had to be lit at midnight as a symbol of purification. Chandeleur comes from the latin “candelarum” as does the English word ‘candle’.

The Church adapted the tradition into the blessing of the candles, which were to repel Evil, thus reminding all that Christ is the light of the world. Christians would then come back to their homes with the blessed candles in order to protect them.

Nowadays la Chandeleur it’s a family time most simply associated with eating crêpes, the delicious thin French pancakes. Most sources say that in France, the crêpes round shape and color symbolize the sun and the return of the light which ties in with the tradition of celebrating this holiday of lights. Now that crêpes are part of the tradition, most people still call it la Chandeleur. 

And of course, there is the coin ritual – if you flip a crepe while holding a coin in your other hand and the crêpe lands perfectly in the pan, you are expected to enjoy good fortune for the rest of the year.

You don’t have to wait to eat crêpes on crêpe day. You can usually find them throughout France on little street corners coffee shops, at markets and they are very yummy!

Have you ever made crêpes? Do you like crêpes?

Here is a RECIPE you can use to make crêpes. It is super easy! There is also a video below you can watch.

                                            How to make French Crêpes

How to eat crêpes on Chandeleur

The interesting link between ‘Crêpe Day’ and “Groundhog Day’

Now you know that national crêpe day is actually called la Chandeleur in French or Candlemas in English. But do you know that crêpe day which falls on the 2^nd of February is also the same as Groundhog Day?

The two don’t sound like they are related but they actually are. The groundhog tradition actually stems from and shares some of the same weather folklore or beliefs, which are associated with Candlemas Day, and the days of early Christians in Europe.

If on the 2^nd of February (Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada) the groundhog sees its shadow, this means thirty days of winter still remain and it goes back into its hole. If the groundhog does not see its shadow then spring is right around the corner.

I came across numerous proverbs warning of the consequences of specific weather at Chandeleur. “Soleil de la Chandeleur, announce hiver et malheur” (if it’s sunny at Candlemas day, winter will continue bringing bad luck). Others warned of 40 days lost if snow was still on the ground “Chandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perte” and even the exact opposite of the first, heralding in good news if the day was fine: “Si la chandelle est belle et Claire, nous avons l’hiver derrière.”

Bonne fête et bon appétit!

La Galette des Rois - Three Kings' Day Cake

La Galette des Rois  is a cake celebrating Epiphany on January 6^th . In France and Quebec, the cakes can be found in bakeries from around Christmas and during the month of January.

Two versions exist: in northern France and Quebec the cake (which can be either circular or rectangular) consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of frangipane. In the south of France, particularly in Occitania and Roussillon, the cake, called gâteau des rois or royaume, is a torus-shaped brioche with candied fruits, very similar to the Catalan tortell. This version of the cake originates in Provence and predates the northern version.

Tradition holds that the cake is “to draw the kings” to the Epiphany. A figurine, la fève, which can represent anything from a car to a cartoon character, is hidden in the cake and the person who finds the trinket in their slice becomes King or a Quinn for the day and will have to offer the next cake. Originally, la fève was a broad bean (“fève” = broad bean, literally), but it was replaced in 1870 by a variety of figurines out of porcelain or plastic. These figurines have become popular collectibles and can often be bought separately. Individual bakeries may offer a specialized line of  fèves depicting diverse themes from great works of art to classic movie stars and popular cartoon characters.

A paper crow (couronne) is included with the cake to crown the “King” or a “Quinn” who finds the fève in their piece of cake.

To ensure a random distribution of the cake shares, it is traditional for the youngest person to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of the share which is indicated by the person in charge of the service.

The French President is not allowed to “draw the kings” on Epiphany because  of the etiquette rules. Therefore, a traditional galette without figurine or crown is served at Elys é e Palace in January. (Adapted from Wikipedia)
Try to make a galette. It's quick and easy -  a real piece of cake!
Get the free recipe here or watch it below.

How to eat la gallete des rois?

J'aime la galette! - song

L'histoire de Roule Galette