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.
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.
Les animaux découvrent leurs cadeaux : c'est déjà Noël au zoo de La Flèche dans la Sarthe #AFP pic.twitter.com/77nSFNF8GJ
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) December 23, 2015
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.
Hans Trapp is an "anti-Santa" who hands out punishment to bad children in the Alsace and Lorraine regions of France. He visits children before Christmas, dressed as a scarecrow pic.twitter.com/cGkiTEc7v0
— Nathan Mullin Real Name No Gimmicks (@NathanMullin3) November 27, 2019
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.
La Ville de Marseille a inauguré ce dimanche la 220e foire aux santons de Marseille !
Jusqu'au 31 décembre, venez profiter des créations des santonniers venus de toute la région 😀
Toutes les infos pratiques 👉 https://t.co/PJfGP7chIu pic.twitter.com/CHzvyljfDO
— Ville de Marseille (@marseille) November 20, 2022
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.
La tradition du feu de Noël à Calvi transmise à la nouvelle génération https://t.co/NrwvFfXliS pic.twitter.com/4mICFUTNyF
— Corse-Matin (@Corse_Matin) December 27, 2021
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.
Comments
See Also
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.
Les animaux découvrent leurs cadeaux : c'est déjà Noël au zoo de La Flèche dans la Sarthe #AFP pic.twitter.com/77nSFNF8GJ
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) December 23, 2015
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.
Hans Trapp is an "anti-Santa" who hands out punishment to bad children in the Alsace and Lorraine regions of France. He visits children before Christmas, dressed as a scarecrow pic.twitter.com/cGkiTEc7v0
— Nathan Mullin Real Name No Gimmicks (@NathanMullin3) November 27, 2019
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.
La Ville de Marseille a inauguré ce dimanche la 220e foire aux santons de Marseille !
— Ville de Marseille (@marseille) November 20, 2022
Jusqu'au 31 décembre, venez profiter des créations des santonniers venus de toute la région 😀
Toutes les infos pratiques 👉 https://t.co/PJfGP7chIu pic.twitter.com/CHzvyljfDO
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.
La tradition du feu de Noël à Calvi transmise à la nouvelle génération https://t.co/NrwvFfXliS pic.twitter.com/4mICFUTNyF
— Corse-Matin (@Corse_Matin) December 27, 2021
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.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.