In France, Christmas is celebrated with family, gifts, and religious traditions. Families attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve and have a large feast called le reveillon afterward. On Christmas Day, children find gifts left by Père Noël in their shoes by the fireplace. Nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus are also common decorations in French homes. Regional traditions vary, but many areas celebrate on December 25th with gifts and foods like bûche de Nöel log cake. The oldest and largest Christmas market is in Strasbourg, attracting over 2 million visitors annually to experience local handicrafts and mulled wine.

1. Christmas
in
France

2. In France, Christmas is a time for family and for generosity, marked
by family reunions, gifts and candy for children, gifts for the poor,
Midnight Mass, and le Réveillon.
The celebration of Christmas in France varies by region. Most
provinces celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December.

3. The tradition

4. French children put their shoes in front of the fireplace, in the hopes that Père
Noël (aka Papa Noël) will fill them with gifts. Candy, fruit, nuts, and small toys will also
be hung on the tree overnight.
Nearly every French home at Christmastime displays a Nativity scene or creche, which
serves as the focus for the Christmas celebration. The creche is often peopled with
little clay figures called santons or "little saints“.
In addition to the usual Holy Family, shepherds, and Magi, the craftsmen also produce
figures in the form of local dignitaries and characters.

6. The Christmas tree has never been particularly popular in France, and though the use of the
Yule log has faded, the French make a traditional Yule log-shaped cake called the buche de Nol,
which means "Christmas Log.“
The cake, among other food in great abundance is served at the grand feast of the season,
which is called le reveillon. Le reveillon is a very late supper held after midnight mass on
Christmas Eve.
French families used to have a Three Kings Cake with a bean hidden in it. Whoever found the
bean in their slice was made King, or Queen, for the day.
In the north of France, children are given gifts on December 6, which is St. Nicholas' Day,
instead of Christmas Day. The adults give each others presents on New Year's Day.

7. Strasbourg the capital of Christmas

8. Founded in 1570, Strasbourg Christmas market is without a doubt the most famous of all thanks
to its size and location in the capital of Europe.
Young and old will love to stroll from chalet to chalet, enjoying the spice bread, bretzels,
confectionery, pastries and mulled wine on offer.
Dating back to the 16th century, Strasbourg is the oldest Christmas market in France and one of
the largest, with enchanting stalls selling handicrafts, mulled wine, traditional bridle cakes and
other delights from the magical medieval square beneath the city’s imposing pink sandstone
Gothic cathedral. It draws in approximately 2 million visitors each year

9. The feast day of Saint Nicholas

10. St. Nicolas comes primarily in Alsace, Nord-Pas-de-Calais (French Flanders), and in Lorraine,
where he is patron. A little donkey carries baskets filled with children's gifts, biscuits and sweets.
The whole family gets ready for the saint's arrival on 6 December, with grandparents telling
stories of the saint.
The most popular one (also the subject of a popular French children's song) is of three children
who wandered away and got lost.
Cold and hungry, a wicked butcher lured them into his shop where he killed them and salted
them away in a large tub.

11. Through St. Nicolas' help the boys were revived and returned to their families, earning him a
reputation as protector of children.
The evil butcher followed St. Nicolas in penance ever since Père Fouettard. In France, statues
and paintings often portray this event, showing the saint with children in a barrel.
Bakeries and home kitchens are a hive of activity as spiced gingerbread biscuits
and mannala (a brioche shaped like the saint) are baked.

12. French food

13. A good portion of a French family's Christmas budget is devoted not only to presents
but to a long list of culinary delicacies. Traditionally, a French family attends mass at
midnight and then comes home for the Christmas Eve dinner.
Few famous christmas foods are:
oysters

14. Foie gras
smoked salmon
Crêpe
chapon
dinde aux
marrons
Ganzeltopf

15. French
desserts

16. The thirteen desserts are the traditional dessert foods used in celebrating Christmas in
the French region of Provence.
The "big supper" ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles.
The desserts always number thirteen but the exact items vary by local or familial tradition.
The food traditionally is set out Christmas Eve and remains on the table three days until
December 27.

17. The desserts are traditionally set out Christmas Eve and remain on the table three days
until December 27.
* Walnut
* Quince cheese
* Almond
* Raisin
* Calisson of Aix-en-Provence
* Nougat blanc
* Nougat noir au miel
* Apple
* Pear
* orange
* Winter melon
* fougasse (Provençal bread)

18. Presentation by
•Shruthi sankara narayanan
•Dhurga devi
•Nirma bishnoi
•Vaibhav
•Abhijith
•Kevimedo tungoe

19. Thank you