How do the French celebrate New Year?
The flipping over of the calendar from December 31st to January 1st is marked across the globe - but there are some particularly French traditions that accompany 'le nouvel an'.
What's it called?
First of all, how do you talk about this event in French? Well the New Year itself is Le nouvel an, while Les fêtes de fin d'année refers to the whole Christmas and New Year period.
New Year's Eve itself is often referred to as Le réveillon de la Saint-Sylevstre - the eve of Saint Sylvester's Day (which is on January 1st) - or simply 'Le Saint-Sylvestre'. Don't worry, you won't need to know anything about the life of the obscure 4th century saint himself - although if you want to, here's a brief explanation.
If you want to wish someone Happy New Year, that is Bonne année - you can say it to the people you're with as the clock strikes midnight, or to people when you see them again in the early days of January.
How's it celebrated?
Unlike Christmas, which is generally seen as a day to spend with family, New Year has more of a party vibe.
Exactly how people celebrate varies - you might be invited to a formal dinner, drinks or a house party depending on your age and demographic.
Many restaurants have special events with a gourmet menu, while bars and clubs put on special events (which usually have to be booked in advance).
Fireworks
One thing that the French love at New Year is fireworks - the big cities put on a display, but even quite small towns and a few villages put on their own display of feu d'artifice, paid for from the annual municipal budget.
These are often elaborate and long displays, frequently synched to music - similar to those seen at the other 'fireworks' event of the year, the Fête National on July 14th (aka Bastille Day).
Some cities also put on concerts at New Year, and in Paris the traditional place to celebrate is on the Champs-Elysées, which is closed to traffic for the evening.
Food and drink
If you're having food at your New Year party, it's likely that the accent will be on luxury produce - high quality beef, lobsters or perhaps some more oysters.
The big New Year tradition, as either a starter or a canapé is foie gras, traditionally served on either toast or pain d'épices (gingerbread) with onion relish.
The drink, naturally, is Champagne and supermarkets and wine caves will all have their own promotions. If you're on a budget, consider France's wide range of crémants - sparkling wines that come from a region outside of the Champagne area. They're usually delicious and less expensive than Champagne because you're not paying for the famous name.
If you're having dinner, it's likely that your host will have splashed out on a few special wines to accompany the food.
Burning cars
And one tradition that is not so well-loved (especially by police and car-owners) is the tradition of burning cars on New Year's Eve.
This tends to be more common in eastern France (it started is Strasbourg in the 1990s) and is definitely an urban, rather than rural, phenomenon.
READ ALSO Why do the French set fire to cars on New Year's Eve?
This year, interior minister Gérald Darmanin has announced that 90,000 police officers will be on duty across France on New Year's Eve to keep the peace and try to stop cars being torched.
They will also be contending with France's elevated terror threat, which has been on the highest level since October.
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What's it called?
First of all, how do you talk about this event in French? Well the New Year itself is Le nouvel an, while Les fêtes de fin d'année refers to the whole Christmas and New Year period.
New Year's Eve itself is often referred to as Le réveillon de la Saint-Sylevstre - the eve of Saint Sylvester's Day (which is on January 1st) - or simply 'Le Saint-Sylvestre'. Don't worry, you won't need to know anything about the life of the obscure 4th century saint himself - although if you want to, here's a brief explanation.
If you want to wish someone Happy New Year, that is Bonne année - you can say it to the people you're with as the clock strikes midnight, or to people when you see them again in the early days of January.
How's it celebrated?
Unlike Christmas, which is generally seen as a day to spend with family, New Year has more of a party vibe.
Exactly how people celebrate varies - you might be invited to a formal dinner, drinks or a house party depending on your age and demographic.
Many restaurants have special events with a gourmet menu, while bars and clubs put on special events (which usually have to be booked in advance).
Fireworks
One thing that the French love at New Year is fireworks - the big cities put on a display, but even quite small towns and a few villages put on their own display of feu d'artifice, paid for from the annual municipal budget.
These are often elaborate and long displays, frequently synched to music - similar to those seen at the other 'fireworks' event of the year, the Fête National on July 14th (aka Bastille Day).
Some cities also put on concerts at New Year, and in Paris the traditional place to celebrate is on the Champs-Elysées, which is closed to traffic for the evening.
Food and drink
If you're having food at your New Year party, it's likely that the accent will be on luxury produce - high quality beef, lobsters or perhaps some more oysters.
The big New Year tradition, as either a starter or a canapé is foie gras, traditionally served on either toast or pain d'épices (gingerbread) with onion relish.
The drink, naturally, is Champagne and supermarkets and wine caves will all have their own promotions. If you're on a budget, consider France's wide range of crémants - sparkling wines that come from a region outside of the Champagne area. They're usually delicious and less expensive than Champagne because you're not paying for the famous name.
If you're having dinner, it's likely that your host will have splashed out on a few special wines to accompany the food.
Burning cars
And one tradition that is not so well-loved (especially by police and car-owners) is the tradition of burning cars on New Year's Eve.
This tends to be more common in eastern France (it started is Strasbourg in the 1990s) and is definitely an urban, rather than rural, phenomenon.
READ ALSO Why do the French set fire to cars on New Year's Eve?
This year, interior minister Gérald Darmanin has announced that 90,000 police officers will be on duty across France on New Year's Eve to keep the peace and try to stop cars being torched.
They will also be contending with France's elevated terror threat, which has been on the highest level since October.
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