Every 2 February, France celebrates La Chandeleur (Candlemas), also known as Fête de la lumière (Holiday of the light) and Jour des crêpes (Day of the crêpes) by, you guessed it, eating crêpes.
The holiday originates both from Catholic religion (it’s exactly 40 days after Christmas) and paganism (candle were lit as a symbol of purification). But nowadays, it’s mostly just a reason to eat crêpes, which are supposed to represent the sun and the circle of life with their round shape and golden colour.
And don’t think about having them for breakfast, they have to be eaten for dinner. Rules are rules. If you want a drink, have a cider in a round bowl (again with the symbolism).
A lot of superstitions
The day involves too many superstitions to count, but here are a few of them, if you want to make your meal more interesting:
-Some people believe that if you cook with a coin in your right hand and successfully flip the crêpe with your left hand, your family will be prosperous for the year.
-Some put a coin on a crêpe while it cooks for luck.
-Others hide the first crêpe they make in a drawer, also for luck.
-And La Chandeleur is like the French Groundhog Day: If it rains on the day, it means there’s more bad weather to come, but if it’s sunny, winter is almost over.
Check out these crêpe recipes to make tonight:
