On February 2nd, many French families traditionally enjoy ‘crêpes’ on their menu. This day celebrates ‘la Chandeleur’ or the ‘Fête des Chandelles,’ which occurs forty days after Christmas Eve. So after having had numerous ‘galettes de rois’ and ‘royaumes’ for Epiphany, it is now time for pancakes. The French sure know how to shed those end-of-year kilos… Luckily, La Chandeleur is celebrated for just one day instead of an entire month!
Burning Candle
This holiday has its roots in ancient times. In fact, the Romans celebrated a similar feast in honour of the God Pan. On this day, believers would walk through the streets of Rome carrying burning torches. In 472, the then Pope changed this feast into a religious one, and believers had to take a burning candle from the church to their house. If the candle remained lit when they arrived, it was said that they would not die that year.
Gold Coin
But why do we eat pancakes? One explanation is that the days begin to lengthen in early February. Eating pancakes would be a tribute to the rebirth of nature, the cycle of the seasons, and, of course, springtime. Also, if you ate pancakes for Chandeleur, it prevented the wheat from being wasted. Another superstition was to bake the pancake with a ‘Louis d’Or’ as a bringer of good luck. Farmers threw the first pancake in the air with their right hand while holding a gold coin in their left hand. Afterwards, the same gold coin was put into the pancake. Along with the entire family, this pancake was then placed in the wardrobe for a whole year. This tradition was thought to bring good fortune to the household’s finances.
Crêpes
Nowadays, some families still bake their ‘crêpes’ with a coin in the left hand. But for most, only the savouring of crêpes has remained. Every year around this time, you will find supermarkets packed with ‘crêpières’, in other words, convenient frying pans for making those delightful, thin crêpes. Together with huge pots of Nutella, everyone’s favourite topping. Now that our kids have grown, they still request pancakes on February 2nd. And I happily oblige, blending some Dutch traditions (like apples and stroop, a Dutch syrup) with French flair (such as a splash of cognac in the batter). Bon appétit!
