December 2006

Vol. 1 Issue 9

Joyeux Noel!

It's Christmastime in France, a time marked by spending lots of time with family and friends, and eating way too much foie gras, oysters and buche de Noel!

How do the French celebrate Christmas?
This depends on the region. Most areas of France celebrate the main Christmas holiday only, on December 25. But in some areas of France, particularly the north, the Christmas season begins with the fête de Saint Nicolas on December 6, when they receive a small gift in the morning. The Christmas holidays end with the Epiphany on January 6, when French young and old gorge themselves on the wonderful "galette des rois", or King's cake, a flaky, pastry cake filled with almond cream. This cake is cut into pieces and whoever finds the porcelain charm baked inside is named "King" or "Queen".

What are some of the French Christmas traditions?
The French use the Christmas tree, or the "sapin de Noël". You can see these in homes, on the streets, in shops, just about everywhere. The Christmas tree first appeared in the Alsace region in the 14th century, but became a French tradition in the early 19th century.

Many families display a wooden crèche, or manger scene, which they fill with "Santons" or "little saints". These santons are handmade clay figures, depicting every possible character of a typical French village: the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, everyone is included. Many families have vast collections of santons that surround the manger, ready to bestow their gifts on the baby Jesus. Most santons are handmade in southern France, near Marseille.

Instead of stockings, French children put their shoes in front of the fireplace, which Père Noel fills with gifts and candy.

Unfortunately for the naughty children, there is always the possibility of a visit from Père Fouettard, who gives spankings. Personally, I don't think anyone ever really gets a spanking, but the fear of a visit from Père Fouettard is enough to make French children walk the straight and narrow throughout the month of December!

Le Réveillon
Some of the typical French traditions during Christmas include Midnight Mass (although fewer French actually attend mass these days). This mass is followed by the Réveillon, a huge feast that lasts almost all night, and includes turkey, goose, foie gras, oysters, and for dessert, the wonderful bûche de Noël.

There is so much to see and do in Paris at this time of year. I've included the highlights here:

Ice Skating

There are a few temporary ice rinks available to the public during the winter months. Here are some of the places you can go to enjoy a skate "en plein air":

Eiffel Tower:
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower in Paris can now skate 57m (185 feet) above ground while admiring one of the best views in town.

TOUR EIFFEL
Champ de Mars 75007 PARIS
Metro: Bir Hakeim
RER : Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel
Information: 01 44 11 23 23
Fax: 01 44 11 23 22

Hotel de Ville:
On the parvis of the Hotel de Ville, enjoy one huge ice rink for leisurely skating, one small rink for beginners and a slide for children. Rinks are free and you can rent skates for 5 euros. It is required to wear gloves or mittens on this rink.
PLACE DE L’HOTEL-DE-VILLE, 75004 PARIS
Metro: Hôtel de Ville
RER : Châtelet Les Halles
From 12-2-2006 to 3-4-2007

Montparnasse:
This is a medium sized rink located in Montparnasse. Admission to the rink is free, and skates can be rented for 5 euros. You must wear gloves on this rink.

Place Raoul-Dautry, 75015 PARIS
Metro: Montparnasse Bienvenüe
Dates: From 12-2-2006 to 3-4-2007

 

Life Size Advent Calendar

Check out the life size Advent calendar at the Maison de l'Alsace. The windows of the Maison de l’Alsace on the Champs Elysees will be covered with paintings representing Christmas in Alsace. Each of the 22 windows will be unveiled, one per day, during the four weeks of Advent.
MAISON DE L’ALSACE
39, avenue des Champs-Elysées 75008 PARIS
Metro: Franklin-D Roosevelt
RER: Charles de Gaulle - Etoile
Dates: From 11-23-2006 to 12-24-2006

La Grande Roue de Paris

La Grande Roue (ferris wheel) is back at the Place de la Concorde this Christmas season. Enjoy it, because they take it away on January 7!
PLACE DE LA CONCORDE, 75008 PARIS
Metro: Concorde
RER: Charles de Gaulle - Etoile
Dates: From 12-16-2006 to 1-7-2007
Full price: Adults : 8 €
Children under 10: 6 €

Christmas light displays

Paris is always the City of Lights, and this is especially true at Christmastime. From now through New Year’s you can experience the beautiful Christmas lights in every neighborhood of the city, and most especially in the windows of its department stores, such as Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Bon Marche and Monoprix.

Here is a list of the various areas of town which will have a display this year:

• Disneyland Resort Paris
• Ile-de-France (Marne la Vallee)
• Galeries Lafayette department store
• Printemps department store
• Champs Elysees (Paris 08)
• Christmas illuminations: Rues Lepic, Abbesses
• Place Vendome

Lumen de Lumine, light show at Notre Dame
During this Christmas season, you can enjoy a light show at Notre Dame Cathedral. The show lasts approximately one hour, and it mixes Biblical texts, narration, music and images of the greatest works in Christian art.
CATHEDRALE NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS
6, place du Parvis-Notre-Dame 75004 PARIS
Metro : Cité
RER : Saint Michel - Notre Dame
Dates: From 12-2-2006 to 2-2-2007

Maneges de Noel

Christmas Merry-go-Rounds! All over Paris you will soon get the chance to hop on special Merry-Go-Rounds just to celebrate the Christmas holiday.

Here are some of the areas where the rides will be located:
Square du Temple - 3e Arr
place de l’Hôtel de Ville - 4e Arr
around Square St-Médard - 5e Arr
place de l’Odéon - 6e Arr
place Joffre - 7e Arr
place de la Madeleine - 8e Arr
place de la Concorde - 8e Arr
place Lino-Ventura - 9e Arr
Square Alban-Satragne - 10e Arr
place Léon-Blum - 11e Arr
avenue Daumesnil - 12e Arr
place d’Italie - 13e Arr
angle rue Didot/rue d’Alésia - 14e Arr
place Raoul-Dautry - 15e Arr
place du Trocadéro - 16e Arr
place Docteur Félix-Lobligeois - 17e Arr
Square Louise-Michel - 18e Arr
place Armand-Carrel - 19e Arr
Mairie du - 20e Arr