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CHRISTMAS

12 unusual ways the French mark Christmas

From abseiling Santas to floating choirs and mechanical elephants, the French do have some unusual Christmas customs that need explaining.

Published: 25 December 2019 09:00 CET
Updated: 9 December 2022 15:10 CET
12 unusual ways the French mark Christmas
Children look at the santons exhibited in Marseille in 2001 (Photo by SERGE PAGANO / AFP)

You may know all about the Christmas markets, or even that there’s something of an oyster frenzy at this time of year – but have you heard about the couture Christmas trees in Paris or the thirteen different Christmas desserts in Provence? 

Here’s a closer look at 12 unusual French Christmas traditions.

Floating carol singers in Colmar

In the Little Venice of Colmar in northeastern France, children decked out in red Santa hats sing Christmas carols on boats along the canal. They make four stops throughout the city centre, performing four or five songs each time to the audience gathered on the quays. 

“Many of them only join the choir for this event,” director Evelyne Fleck told Source d’Initiatives Magazine. “What they really love is singing all huddled together on the boats, in the cold at night in front of large crowds.”

Santa’s Descent

In 1966, the northern city of Douai became the first to feature the spectacle of Santa Claus rappelling down the belfry tower with his elves as the town looks on.  About a dozen climbers rappel down the tower for the event each year.

Last year a young man fell to his death during a rehearsal for the event. This year (and last year), Santa descended from the Hotel du Dauphin instead, much to the chagrin of some locals. 

Wild Christmas pressies 

Even animals deserve Christmas presents. In recent years at the Zoo de la Flèche in Le Mans, the animals were given gifts to open, which they did with much enthusiasm. 

Santa’s nemesis 

The city of Wissembourg in Alsace puts on a nocturnal parade including a torchlight procession and light show.

The principal character of the parade is Hans Trapp, known in regional folklore as “a wild man dressed all in black, with chains and large boots, who carries a baton and a large sack,” according to the Wissembourg tourism website.

He strikes fear in the hearts of all children. He’s accompanied by the baby Jesus, who tosses out sweets to the children. 

13 desserts in Provence

One dessert is not nearly enough if you’re celebrating Christmas in Provence. It’s tradition to have thirteen dessert options after the Christmas meal, to be shared by everyone, symbolizing the sharing of Christ. These desserts traditionally include pastries, candied fruit, dried fruit, and nougat. 

Mechanical animals at Noel aux Nefs

On the site of the former shipyards in Nantes is a unique artistic project called Les Machines de l’Ile, described on its website as a “crossroads of Jules Verne’s ‘invented worlds’, the mechanical universe of Leonardi da Vinci, and of Nantes’ industrial history…”

A highlight of the project is a 12-metre mechanical elephant that can take 50 passengers at a time for a ride around the shipyards. Every Christmas, the Machines de l’Ile puts on a Christmas show called “Noel aux Nefs”, featuring ice sculptures, circus performers, ballet dancers, and other festive activities.

Les Santons of the South

Nativity scenes are popular throughout France, but the people of Provence put their own unique spin on them with small, clay figurines called santons, or “little saints”.  

These figures, traditionally handmade at home as a family, can be vegetable sellers, bakers, men selling chestnuts, local dignitaries, or other personalities from daily village life. These nativity scenes are supposed to be representative of the ideal Provencal village. Marseille holds an annual Santon Fair at the end of November to kick off the holiday season.

Designer Christmas Trees

In Paris, an annual exhibition of reimagined Christmas trees created by big names in fashion, design, and architecture, takes place this year at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The avant-garde trees have been designed in the past by artists such as Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior, Louis Vuitton, and more. After the show, the trees are auctioned off and all proceeds go to charity. 

Santa Claus Race

The Parisian suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux brings a sportive atmosphere to the holidays with their annual Santa Claus race. Called the “Corrida de Noel” after its Spanish counterpart, the race is accompanied by orchestras and shows. See the results and pictures from this year’s event here. 

Coquilles de Noel

Since the 16th century, people of the Nord Pas-de-Calais region have been testing their arteries with a type of brioche, or sweet bun, filled with butter, sugar, and raisins.  

Bakers in the north churn out these pastries, made in the shape of coquilles or shells, every December.  According to France 3, a document from 1579 states that the sweets were thrown to the people from the top of the belfry tower.

Corsican Christmas Fire

In Corsica, the yule log takes the form of a bonfire lit in front of the village church after the midnight mass on December 24th.

Traditionally, it’s up to the children of the village to gather the logs and branches, all of which must come from the fields and the yards of the village.  Once the fire has died out the next day, the villagers each take some of the still-warm cinders to put in their own fireplaces.

Holiday Acrobatics in Rennes

The city of Rennes puts a unique spin on their holiday festivities with an acrobatics show in the main square, Place de la Mairie. Recent years have seen aerial dancers and tightrope walkers performing in front of the courthouse, typically on the evening of December 31st. 

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CHRISTMAS

Why is Christmas a holiday in secular France?

France is a secular republic and has laws in place to ensure that religion plays no part in the state - so how come the Christian festival of Christmas is a public holiday?

Published: 21 December 2022 13:49 CET
Why is Christmas a holiday in secular France?

Even though France is known for being a secular state – where public officials cannot wear religious signs, religious clothes and symbols are banned in schools, and displays of religion are not allowed in public institutions – Christmas is still a public holiday.

During the Christmas holiday season, it would not be uncommon to see a large Christmas tree in front of a town hall – or even inside of a school building – which might seem contrary to the principle of laïcité (secularism).

December 25th is also a public holiday, and schools take a two-week break over Christmas. And it’s not the only one, in fact roughly half of France’s 11 public holidays (or 13 if you’re in Alsace) represent Catholic events.

The reason for this is essentially one of practicality.

The law around laïcité (secularism) was formally codified in 1905 and by the time there was already a fairly fixed calendar of holidays and festivals. The idea of suddenly getting rid of popular festivals, like Christmas, would go down pretty poorly with the population at large, so the politicians at the time didn’t suggest it.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What does laïcité (secularism) really mean in France?

The same principle has remained – in essence, French politicians are reluctant to take away vacation days from the French, although several secular holidays have been added to the calendar since then, including May 1st which became a public holiday in 1919, Armistice Day to commemorate World War I and Victory in Europe Day after World War II.

A long-standing tradition

People in what is now France have celebrated a winter festival for thousands of years and several ‘Christmas’ traditions actually pre-date the birth of Christ. Christmas trees find their roots in antiquity, when Romans decorated the interior of their homes with evergreen branches to symbolise life, while the Bûche de Noël references the pagan festival of Yule.  

Some French Christmas traditions may have begun with religious origins, and have transformed to become more secular over time.

The traditional seafood platter originally comes from the Catholic tradition of abstaining from eating meat during holy periods such as Lent, but these days is mostly simply eaten for enjoyment.

READ MORE: Why do the French eat so much seafood at Christmas?

Although Christmas of course has its roots in the Christian festival marking the birth of Jesus, it’s common in France for people of different faiths or no faith to still celebrate the time of year by visiting family, swapping gifts and donning a Christmas jumper.

State secularism

But even though Christmas is a public holiday in France, there are still rules of secularism that apply and like all laïcité rules, they apply to state buildings such as schools, town halls and government offices but not to private businesses like shops, public highways, private homes or churches.

Within state buildings lights, “happy holidays” (Joyeuses Fêtes) banners, and Christmas trees are allowed – because they are not viewed as overt signs of religion – but nativity scenes and cribs are not permitted.

For those with kids in French schools, you may have noticed that there are no Nativity plays at this time of year, for the same reason.

The Christmas crib tends to draw controversy every year, particularly from those on the political right in French politics.

READ MORE: Explained: Why are Christmas cribs a political issue in France?

Most recently, the head of France’s right-wing party Les Républicains, Éric Ciotti tweeted an image of a nativity scene with the caption: “Magnificent crib in the hall of the Alpes-Maritimes département [local government office], to keep our traditions alive. Let’s be proud of our roots!”

He follows in the footsteps of many other politicians – mostly far-right mayors – who have erected Christmas cribs in town halls in deliberate defiance of the laïcité rules.

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