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Last year, our family almost missed “The King’s Cake” (“La Galette”) in January, and our family almost missed “La Chandeleur” in February.
But this year, we didn’t!
Stepping foot off French soil last year had led to cultural and national “jet lag” in our home.
The scientific word for “jet lag” is circadian dysrhythmia or desynchronosis—the idea of being desynchronized or “off-schedule.”
Our family was a bit delayed in our timing of cultural celebrations—out of sync, out of whack!
Culturally Jet-Lagged
We didn’t realize that we were “out of sync” last year until David invited his 8th grade class of boys to our house for a sleepover.
The boys requested one of our family favorites, “Papa Vincent’s Famous French Crêpes”! They seemed to have become the talk of our little rural Pennsylvania town.
We stocked up on Nutella, fruit jam, sugar, and ice cream in preparation for the big event.
Vincent prepared the crêpe batter in the morning. When I saw him pouring in the bottle of beer, I commented that the parents would be horrified if they knew that we were serving alcohol to their teenage boys!
“The alcohol will all be ‘cooked’ out,” he replied with a grin.
Beer is the secret ingredient of good crêpes, and you have to let the batter sit for at least an hour to “ferment.”
A “Crêpe Meal”
Vincent spent several hours over the hot stove before the hungry teenage boys came barreling through the doors. He prepared at least 50 crêpes. He finally stopped counting.
In French homes, crêpes are not just dessert items. Rather, the entire meal consists of crêpes on these favorite nights.
I will never forget the first time I was invited to Vincent’s for “crêpe dinner.” His mother, “Mémé,” placed the plate of heaping crêpes in the center of the table. I couldn’t believe my eyes! That was the meal—CRÊPES.
We each ate 5-10 crêpes, depending on our appetite, hoping for a few extra for left-overs at breakfast.
Vincent’s family prefers them sprinkled with sugar. My personal favorite is Nutella.
So, when we talk about having crêpes at our house, we mean a “crêpe meal”!
As the boys gathered around the table, my memory was jogged once again.
Did We Miss It?!
“Did we miss La Chandeleur?!” I asked Vincent, with distress in my voice.
“Maybe so,” he responded.
What?! I couldn’t believe it! How could we have missed another one of our favorite French holidays and culinary celebrations? Once again, the reality is that we were “jet lagged,” out of sync with our country and culture.
I quickly looked up “La Chandeleur” online to see what the exact date was. Bummer! The famous French crêpe celebration had been a few weeks before, always celebrated on February 2.
That’s TODAY!
What is “Candlemas”?
“Chandeleur” literally means “Fête des chandelles” (“Candlemas”). The word “chandelle” means “candle,” and the French will sometimes light candles in their homes for this celebration.
Thankfully, everyone talks about February as being “crêpe month,” so our family’s crêpe celebration in the middle of February still counted as part of La Chandeleur.
Chandeleur has both religious and pagan origins. It is celebrated 40 days after Christmas, symbolizing when Jesus was presented at the Temple and the purification of his mother, Mary. (The Bible—Luke 2:22-40)
Most French celebrate La Chandeleur as a family tradition, rather than as a religious holiday. It is most known today as “Crêpe Day.”
To make crèpes, we use a special shallow pan—one that we brought with us from France—called “
According to French tradition, the round and golden crêpes represent the sun and the warmer and longer days that are just around the corner—anywhere other than cold and snowy
Today is La Chandeleur—February 2—time to make crêpes! Wanna join me?
Click here to download “Papa Vincent’s Famous French Crêpes“!
To learn more about La Chandeleur and Crêpes, enjoy this video (in French, with English subtitles):
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
Let’s Weave Cultures!
Have you ever eaten real French crêpes? Why don’t you buy yourself a crêpière, try this recipe today—“Papa Vincent’s Famous French Crêpes“ (click)—and invite some friends over to celebrate La Chandeleur? Crêpes aren’t just good during the month of February, but all year round!
Click here to download “Papa Vincent’s Famous French Crêpes”!
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
