In France, December 31st is known as la Saint-Sylvestre, and is named after Saint Sylvestre, who was a 4th century AD pope during the time of Constantine the Great and the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. The saint actually has little to do […]
Since 1570, there has been a Christmas market in Strasbourg, and just as then, visitors nowadays can fill themselves full of Christmas cheer in the form of bretzels, mulled wine, candies, and pastries. These days, you can buy all the decorations for your Christmas tree as […]
The tradition of decorating Christmas trees in France goes back to 16th century Alsace, when people would hang apples and nuts from the trees’ branches. However, in 1858, a drought caused the apple harvest to fail, so an enterprising glass blower from Goetzenbruck in Lorraine created […]
As with many people across the world, the Christmas tree (le sapin de Noël) takes pride of place at Christmastide in French homes, schools, businesses, and factories. The first Christmas tree in France is said to have been put up in Alsace in the 1521 but it […]
Did you know that when children write letters to Santa in France, it is the law that they each receive a postcard by way of a response? The law was passed in 1962.
While France may come low on the list of vegetarian-friendly European countries, there is no need for vegetarians to despair; French cuisine does actually include a number of dishes which are actually suitable for vegetarians but because meat-free diets are not a big thing in l’Hexagone, […]