La Chandeleur Crêpes on the Menu in France

French Holiday Traditions

In France, La Chandeleur falls on the 40th day of the Christmas Epiphany season on February 2. Also known as Candlemas, this holiday is celebrated in Provence by making—and eating—crêpes.

La Chandeleur marks the culmination of the Calendale, the festive holiday season that begins with the feast day of St. Barbara (la Sainte Barbe) on December 4th. On this day, Provençal celebrants plant wheat and lentil seeds in small containers. If the seeds germinate and grow quickly, this assures a good harvest and a prosperous New Year. People often tie the new shoots with tinsel and ribbon and use them as Christmas table decorations.

On the eve of the winter solstice, Aix-en-Provence celebrates La Bravade Calendale each year with a street festival and by offering La Pompe de Noël (a sweet brioche, one of the 13 desserts of Christmas) to city authorities.

La Bravade Calendale – Image credit Aix-en-Provence Tourisme

Read About Holiday Traditions in Provence

A Reason to Eat Crêpes

These holidays have their roots in pagan and Roman customs. At first, farmers ate a wheat-based meal on la Chandeleur to encourage spring to come quickly and to keep praying for an abundant wheat harvest. During lean times, they used as little wheat as possible, mixing it with a bit of liquid, and voilà, the crêpe was born!

Nowadays, you don’t need the excuse of la Chandeleur to prepare crêpes. In fact, socca crêpes made with chickpea flour are a year-round street-food staple in Marseille. With a bit of practice and the right pan, you can make crêpes easily. Crêpes can be served as a sweet dessert or snack (crêpes sucrées) with a simple jam filling and usually made with wheat flour. They can also be savoury (crêpes salées), traditionally made with buckwheat flour and filled with mushrooms, spinach or ham and cheese.

Crêpe ingredients are simple, but it’s all in the technique. Here’s a video to get you started:

Explore Provence at Christmas

This December, discover Provençal Christmas traditions and enjoy the region’s flavours on a curated guided tour. Enjoy cooking classes, wine tasting, markets, and more.

Book your spot on A Taste of Provence. This Goût et Voyage tour combines gastronomic discoveries and an introduction to the region’s cultural traditions. Discover why Provence is magical all year, but especially during the Christmas season.

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Martine Bertin-Peterson

Goût et Voyage, LLC was founded by Martine Bertin-Peterson to bring together her lifetime passions of travel, cooking and culture. Creating unforgettable memories, Martine serves as the escort for all Goût et Voyage culinary travel adventures and serves as chef de cuisine for customized cooking classes at home in Bucks County, PA. 
 
Martine’s background and experience are as wide-ranging as her interests. She has decades of cooking experience gained through formal and informal cooking courses in the United States, France and Italy. Born in France and fluent in 5 languages, Martine has travelled to more than 50 countries across 5 continents. She has escorted travel groups throughout Europe and Latin America over the past 25+ years and for the past 5 years has focused on creating unique gourmet experiences for her clients in Provence. 

President of the Alliance Française of Doylestown, PA. Martine currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband who, along with her NYC-based daughter, are regular and willing subjects for her travel and culinary adventures.