6 French New Yr Traditions That Are Centuries Outdated

New Yr celebrations will be easy issues − family and friends, a little bit of champagne, subsequent yr’s resolutions… however we don’t notice that many of those seemingly anodyne habits might have their roots far up to now.

1. What’s in a date? How 1 January turned the primary day of the yr

We owe the primary day of the yr to Julius Caesar.

In 46 BCE, he launched the Julian calendar, which standardized the size of months and established January 1 as the beginning of the New Yr. 

January is known as after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. Historically, he’s proven with two faces trying in reverse instructions − he can look each ahead into the long run and backward into the previous, not a nasty viewpoint for the beginning of a New Yr.

To have a good time the arrival of the New Yr, the Romans would maintain sacrifices and make temple choices, however 1 January wouldn’t actually be thought-about the primary day of the yr completely. Not but.

The start of the yr saved hopping round.

Underneath the Merovingians, who dominated France from the Sixth-Eighth century, 1 March can be the yr’s begin, whereas their successors, the Carolingians, would have a good time it on 25 December, the presumed day of Christ’s delivery − and the day Charlemagne was topped. Generally, the New Yr may additionally be celebrated round Easter.

For 1 January to turn into the “everlasting” begin of the yr, we must wait till 1564. That’s when King Charles IX issued the Edict of Roussillon, which established 1 January completely (with a quick interruption, as we’ll see in a second) as the beginning of the yr in France. 

Now, about that interruption… issues all obtained messy with the French Revolution. 

In 1793, the French Republican Calendar overhauled the system totally, shifting the New Yr to the primary day of one thing referred to as Vendémiaire (round September 22-24). France was making an attempt to de-Christianize and rationalize French society, and altering the calendar to mirror revolutionary priorities was a part of that effort.

It could be complicated and fortunately short-lived. In 1806, Napoleon re-established the Gregorian yr, nonetheless in use at this time.

The brand new Republican Calendar launched by the French Revolution, alongside the Gregorian Calendar to assist discover equal dates

2. One needed to please the king

Throughout the Ancien Régime, when royals dominated France, one needed to maintain the King comfortable.

Typically this was achieved by giving him étrennes des rois, or presents to the king, mainly to curry favor or reveal loyalty or to ask for favors. These may very well be easy presents, simply tokens, actually, or they may very well be lavish jewels or intricate mechanical units. 

Normally, the upper the rank, the larger the reward.

Louis XVI receiving his presents – his etrennes – on New Yr’s in 1790, two years earlier than the monarchy was abolished

This gift-giving prolonged proper down the social hierarchy, with nobles and commoners usually falling over each other to impress and compete. 

Come New Yr, this was solely a part of the protocol. The king additionally held particular audiences to obtain dignitaries, ambassadors, and members of the courtroom, who offered their respects. This set the tone for the New Yr, but in addition supplied a possibility to indicate everybody simply who was in cost.

3. Eat, drink and be merry

This being France, a variety of traditions are certain to contain consuming and ingesting.

Like sabrage, the artwork of slicing off a champagne cork with a saber (which you’ll have seen enacted with dire penalties in season 2 of Emily in Paris). This may be traced again to Napoleon’s gentle cavalry, whose hussars celebrated victories by flamboyantly slicing open bottles of champagne with their weapons. 

As an apart, whereas his hyperlinks to sabrage are nicely documented, Napoleon can also be broadly quoted as saying, “In victory, you deserve Champagne; in defeat, you want it.”

Sadly, there’s no proof of this and the closest we will get is a quote by Winston Churchill, which fits like this: “I couldn’t dwell with out Champagne. In victory I deserve it, in defeat I would like it.”

Focus is essential to sabrage, the artwork of slicing a cork off a champagne bottle with a saber

Over time, sabrage turned related to festive events, together with New Yr’s celebrations, the place it added a theatrical tweak to the festivities.

As we speak, sabrage stays a ceremonial follow, including a contact of historic grandeur and pleasure to celebrations − you may rent somebody to reveal this at your celebration, or you may really study to do it your self.

However custom isn’t solely about champagne…

In Burgundy, a particular bread (ache de l’an neuf) baked for New Yr’s could also be blessed for the event, a mix of spiritual and folks beliefs. The cross which is usually drawn on the bread symbolizes safety and blessings for the family.

In Provence, inserting a coin below the plate in the course of the New Yr’s meal is a practice supposed to convey prosperity, reflecting a mix of spiritual and folks beliefs.

And there are such a lot of others…

4. Les revenants

At midnight on New Yr’s Eve, you’ll hear church bells ring. 

In some components of France, like Normandy, these have been historically believed to thrust back evil spirits, marking the transition from the outdated yr to the brand new.

Bells have usually been used to sign the change from the outdated to the brand new yr. Photograph ©Farz brujunet, CC BY-SA 3.0, by way of Wikimedia Commons

The bells are related to folklore about phantom processions (les revenants) − mainly a cavalcade of ghosts or devils led by a mysterious determine − a supernatural occasion during which the useless or otherworldly beings cross the evening sky.

Communities would collect in anticipation, counting down the ultimate seconds collectively because the bells rang, marking the transition from the outdated yr to the brand new − a bit just like the 12 grapes eaten in Spain because the bells toll the New Yr.

The message is obvious: acknowledge and respect the spirits of the departed, and do not forget that it is a time of renewal.

5. Divination with the Celts

In Brittany, a area with sturdy Celtic heritage, New Yr’s Eve was historically seen as a time for divination.

Practices like decoding candle wax drippings (ceromancy) or molten lead patterns (molybdomancy) have been used to foretell the long run. 

To interpret candle wax drippings, individuals would gentle a candle and let the molten wax drip right into a bowl of chilly water. They’d then examine the shapes made by the solidifying wax and use these to glean insights into the long run: a coronary heart form would possibly predict love, whereas a circle might signify continuity or an upcoming journey.

One other well-liked divination methodology was molybdomancy: simply as was achieved with the candles, small quantities of lead have been melted and shortly poured into chilly water. The ensuing shapes have been interpreted to forecast occasions within the coming yr. This was not a straightforward follow and required cautious dealing with due to the excessive temperatures concerned.

Molybdomancy is the follow of melting lead and pouring it into chilly water, utilizing the shapes to foretell the long run

Sometimes, these rituals came about in the course of the liminal time of New Yr’s Eve, a interval thought-about to be “between the years,” when the veil between the bodily and religious worlds was believed to be thinner. 

Lately, examples of those practices are largely relegated to museums however they’re usually nonetheless a part of the New Yr traditions. That stated, the renewed curiosity in lots of the extra occult practices means you’ll simply discover books about these practices, and even DIY kits!

6. Kissing below the mistletoe

Kissing below the mistletoe is often related to Christmas, nevertheless it wasn’t all the time so. It was as soon as a New Yr’s customized till the Catholic Church moved to ban it due to its pagan connotations.

In France, it’s nonetheless related to the New Yr. We kiss below the gui (pronounced GHEE) at midnight, to draw good luck within the coming yr.

Traditionally, mistletoe was linked with pagan rituals and Druidic practices in areas like Brittany. The Druids revered mistletoe, particularly when discovered on oak bushes, believing it possessed mystical powers that might thrust back evil spirits and convey prosperity. Solely the druids have been allowed to collect it.

Mistletoe was believed to be sacred and maintain many powers

Mistletoe was believed to carry many powers − as a treatment for poison, and an support to fertility. Way back to the Center Ages, it was believed that lovers who kissed below the mistletoe might sit up for happiness, and to producing an extended lineage.

Lately, mistletoe is used as ornament in the course of the holidays, hung above doorways or at house, and is usually thought-about a porte-bonheur, or good luck allure.

As I write this, the New Yr is approaching and I have to head off into the forest with my little serrated knife and step-up IKEA stool, hoping I can stretch to achieve a few of these decrease branches…

Did you get pleasure from this text? I would love if you happen to shared it!