French Holidays and CelebrationsBy: Denise Cochran

The French have holidays and celebrations just like us! We

sometimes even celebrate the same holidays and

celebrations

French Independence Day and is celebrated on July 14th every year much like our 4th of July on July 4th. This day marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. They celebrate the day with fireworks, parades, and family time. You often here the French National Anthem playing throughout the day.

14 July- Bastille Day (Fête nationale)

Bastille Day Parade

Christmas Day falls on December 25 every year. This holiday is celebrated all over the world by people exchanging gifts, decoration Christmas trees, throwing parties and spending time with the family. Everyone’s Christmas has different traditions including France. In France the adults go to a party called midnight mass while the children are sleeping in their beds waiting for Santa Clause. At the Christmas mass churches are lit with many people sing carols and ringing bells.

    25 December- Christmas Day (Noël)

Christmas Mass

French WeddingsWhen is comes down to weddings many people have different ways of doing things. There are different cultural traditions or even family traditions.

Before the wedding the bride receives a hope chest from her parents with hand carved symbols. The chest is then used as the bride’s trousseau. The bride also takes a ritual bath for purification of the bride. Once the bride is ready the groom escorts her to the church on the wedding day.

French Weddings

Bride getting ready for the Wedding

The bride must wear white like most weddings. The white wedding dress symbolizes the purity, innocence and joy of the bride. Even the flowers are white.

French Weddings

Princesses Kate’s wedding day

The church is decorated in incense and flowers from head to toe in white from the inside out. Once the guest have arrived and seated the wedding starts. Traditional French music is played and the groom walks his mother down the aisle. Later the bride was down the aisle with her dad. Priest’; s final blessing is received by the couple under a silk canopy aka carre. As the couple leaves the church they are showered with wheat and rice which symbolizes fertility and prosperity

French Weddings

Rice being thrown at a wedding

At the reception traditional French foods are served as well as French wines and cake. The traditional French wedding cake is called Croquembouche. The Brides wears wreaths of flowers in their hair at the reception. There is also a table for gifts guest bring to celebrate the couple. The bride and bridegroom toast each other from an engraved, two-handled cup (the coupe de mariage). This cup is later passed on throughout the family. Later the bride throws her garter at the guests and it is thought to bring good luck to whoever catches hold of it.

Fench Weddings

Coupe de Mariage

 French Birthdays

French birthdays are celebrated a lot like we celebrate our birthdays. We both sing song and throw parties.

The French Birthday song:

Bon anniversaireNos voeux les plus sincèresQue ces quelques fleursVous apportent le bonheurQue l'année entièreVous soit douce et légèreEt que l'an finiNous soyons tous réunisPour chanter en choeur

French Birthdays

Kids sing the Happy Birthday song in

French

On your birthday in France you are given gifts from your family and friends.

French Birthdays

Birthday Presents

Instead of getting a birthday cake you get a birthday tart. Birthday tarts are heavily decorated, but not with frosting most likely fruit. In France the birthday person’s name is not written on the birthday tart. The birthday tart has a number of candles lit on top for the birthday person the blow out and make a wish. The number of candles depends on how old the birthday person is turning.

French Birthdays

Birthday Tart