T’es branché? 3 Fr3H – CULTURE Unité 2A

Le réveillon de Noël p.83 (= Christmas Eve feast) In France the Christmas Eve feast on December 24th is just as important, if not more so, than Christmas Day itself Usually Christmas Eve evening is spent together as a family, as opposed to the New Year’s Eve feast (St Sylvester Night) when people tend to gather with friends. Christmas Eve night, there is a large family dinner (as opposed to Christmas Day when the whole extended family: grandparents, uncles, aunts etc. gathers together for a big lunch). The Christmas Eve meal is truly a feast: often there are lumpfish roe canapés, oysters, smoked salmon and roasted turkey with chestnuts, for dessert a special cake the Bûche de Noël (Christmas Log Cake). France being a largely Catholic country, some families attend midnight Mass. Kids place their slippers under the Christmas Tree before going to bed. Depending on their age, they think that Santa Claus will put gifts for them there that they will find when they wake up on Christmas morning.

La bûche de Noël p.83 (= Christmas log cake) The “bûche de Noël” is a cake made in the shape of a log. Traditionally ,it has a butter cream frosting but in recent yearsan iced version is also found There are many different flavors: vanilla, praline-flavored, chocolate, coffee. They are often decorated with sugar Santa Claus, axes, saws, elevs etc. This tradition is found in numerous francophone countries just as in France and belgium

La Francophonie: Les Fêtes au Maghreb p La Francophonie: Les Fêtes au Maghreb p.84 (= French-speaking World: Maghreb Feasts) At the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan, they celebrate the breaking of the fast (id al-fltr in Arabic = the breaking of the fast). this is the Feast of Aïd: a whole ceremony is involved: giving gifts to celebrate the breaking of the fast (Zakat el-Fitr), prayers, a meal with dates, presenting wishes to friends and family. In Maghreb countries, it is traditional to prepare almond or pistachio cakes. Husbands and children help by bringing out huge tryas loaded with baked goods into the bakeries of the area who rent out their ovens. The most important act of the feast is giving to the poor in the community. Kids receive gifts and money. In France, where there are more than 5 millions Muslims, this feast is becoming more common. In the big towns and cities (Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille for example) this gives rise to huge gatherings of people (sometimes more than 10,000 people). In Paris, the Mayor opens up City Hall to the Muslims and to all those who wish to join in this celebration. The Feast of Aïd has taken on a national dimension. It is also a chance to fight against islamophobia