It's the Year of the Tiger! Happy Lunar New Year! Just as we gather to spend time with friends and family at this time of year, it is also Chandeleur (Candlemas) in France. This special festival is celebrated on 2 February every year, which means to bid farewell to winter and welcome officially the days of spring.
THE DAY OF CRÊPES
Traditionally, on 2 Feb, the French will stay together to eat crêpes, so it is also called "the Days of Crêpes". There is nothing fancy about crêpes, at least not like those in Hong Kong. Eating crêpes with chocolate, jam, or honey is the most common way, which already makes the crêpes delicious enough. After all, it is the time that we spend together that matters 🙂
WHERE DID CHANDELEUR ORIGINATE FROM?
There isn't any official record that marks down the origin of this historic festival. The word Chandeleur comes from the Latin word "candela", which means candle. Some believed that when we lit candles on this day, it would bring bumper harvests to farmers. Others believed it was the day, as recorded in the Gospels, Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus to the Temple 40 days after its birth. But what made this day a festival was a torchlight feast in the 5th century. On 2 February, Pope Gelasius I held a feast to commemorate the day Jesus was brought to the Temple. That day, the Pope offered crêpes to pilgrims in Rome, which started the origin of crêpes-eating on Candlemas. The golden and circle-shaped crêpes also symbolise the sun, which, figuratively speaking, means the return of the spring light and the farewell of dark winter.
Nowadays, Candlemas has become a day when families get together making and eating crêpes. There is also a belief that a person will have prosperity all year if his left hand is holding a gold coin and he uses his right hand to successfully flip his crêpe in the air while the crêpe lands properly. But no matter what you believe, it is always nice to have an excuse to see your family 🙂
P.s. Check out the Grandma’s day in France too :)
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