Why do I need to know cousinade?

Because you might be able to attend one of these if you have extended family in France.

What does it mean?

Cousinade – roughly pronounced koo-zee-nad – may look similar to cassonade (brown sugar) or cuisine (kitchen), but the term does not have anything to do with cooking.

French people use it to talk about family parties or events. It is defined as a ‘family event where cousins [les cousins] are invited’. 

Depending on the family, these might be just first cousins, or it could be an even larger gathering of extended family. These often take place around holidays, or once a year in the summer-time to bring people together.

However, even though they are often used interchangeably, a cousinade is not exactly a réunion de famille (family reunion). 

The latter can bring any members of an extended family, while the former tends to focus on people with a common set of ancestors. 

People looking to learn about their heritage might organise a cousinade, for example. In 2012, over 5,000 relatives gathered for a cousinade in Vendée in France, and at the time it made the Guinness Book of World Records.

Use it like this

J’ai interrogé ma grand-tante sur notre ascendance à la cousinade l’année dernière. – I asked my great-aunt about our ancestry at the family party last year.

Ma famille est trop petite et déconnectée pour les cousinades. – My family is too small and disconnected for family reunions.