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If you find crêpes to be both quintessentially French and irresistibly delicious, then you’ll love the French crepe holiday called La Chandeleur or Candlemas. Also known popularly as Jour des Crêpes (Crepe Day), it’s a delightful tradition steeped in history and superstition. For many it is the day to leave winter and its holidays behind and look forward to spring’s arrival and the return of warmer days. Celebrations like La Chandeleur are a great way to learn about food, history, and practice speaking French!
Who celebrates La Chandeleur?
This French holiday on February 2 has similar celebrations around the world. Depending where you are located, you might hear it called by any of these names:
- Candlemas
- Le Jour des Crêpes (Crêpe Day)
- La Présentation du Seigneur (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord)
- Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day (celebrated on a different date in the UK)
- La Fête des Chandelles (the Festival of Candles)
- Festival de la Candelaria (Candlemas in Spanish-speaking areas)
The holiday has roots in pagan and Catholic beliefs. Today you’ll find La Chandeleur is associated with eating crêpes, gathering with friends and family, and practicing rituals to bring good luck to the coming year. It also has a connection with Groundhog Day in the US, since this day is said to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
The origins of La Chandeleur celebrations
Many modern-day celebrations and holidays in France have mixed origins. Some trace the history of La Chandeleur back to the Ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, the pagan traditions to honor the god Pan, or to celebrations about the halfway point of winter.
The holiday was incorporated into Christian tradition in the 5th century when Pope Gelasius handed out galettes (a type of savory pancake) to pilgrims marching in a candlelit procession. The Catholic church commemorates la Présentation du Seigneur au Temple. (The Presentation of the Lord at the Temple, February 2). This date is exactly 40 days after Christmas Day, and it marks the date that baby Jesus was presented at the Temple. According to some Catholic traditions, this date marks the end of the Christmas Season. It was on this date that the faithful would often bring their candles to be blessed at the church before storing them until the following winter, thus earning the name of Candlemas.
The tradition that made this known as a French crêpe holiday is also thought to have come from the practice of making crêpes to use up the last of the previous year’s wheat before the following harvest season.
Eating crêpes on La Chandeleur
Crêpes are thin, delicate pancakes with a round shape that symbolizes the return of the warmer summer sun. They are a simple dish made with de la farine (some flour), des oeufs (some eggs), du lait (some milk), du beurre (some butter), de l’eau (some water), and du sel (some salt). Crepes can be flat, stacked, rolled, or folded for a delicious treat on their own or as a base for any number of the flavors and products that France is known for.
Crêpes salées/galettes (savory crêpes) can be a delicious snack or main course. Top them with jambon (ham) and gruyère (a French cheese) or your favorite veggies like aspèrges (asparagus), champignons (mushrooms) or épinards (spinach).
For a sweet treat, try crêpes sucrées (sweet crêpes) with a simple preparation of sucre (sugar) and jus de citron (lemon juice), or roll them with your favorite confiture (jam) or pâte à tartiner (spread).
This vocabulary can help you order your customized crêpes off menus or buy fresh ingredients at the market to make your own. Our Phrasebook, part of Rosetta Stone’s App, teaches you helpful phrases for ordering food and other common travel situations.
| Popular Crêpe Toppings in French | English Meaning |
| les amandes | almonds |
| les artichauts | artichokes |
| les aspèrges | asparagus |
| le bacon | bacon |
| les bananes | bananas |
| le basilic | basil |
| le béchamel | bechamel sauce |
| le beurre | butter |
| les bluets | blueberries |
| la cannelle | cinnamon |
| les cerises | cherries |
| les champignons | mushrooms |
| le chocolat | chocolate |
| le citron/le jus de citron | lemon/lemon juice |
| la confiture | jam |
| la crème au citron | lemon curd |
| la crème fouettée | whipped cream |
| la crème fraîche | thick dairy cream |
| les épinards | spinach |
| la farine | flour |
| les fraises | strawberries |
| les framboises | raspberries |
| le fromage | cheese |
| le fromage de chèvre | goat cheese |
| le fromage frais à tartiner | cream cheese |
| la glace | ice cream |
| le jambon | ham |
| le lait | milk |
| le miel | honey |
| les mûres | blackberries |
| les noisettes | hazelnuts |
| les oeufs | eggs |
| les oignons | onions |
| l’orange/le jus d’orange | orange/orange juice |
| la pâte à tartiner | spread (such as nut or chocolate) |
| le pesto | pesto |
| les poireaux | leeks |
| le poulet | chicken |
| la sauce caramel | caramel sauce |
| la sauce hollandaise | hollandaise sauce |
| le saumon | salmon |
| le sel | salt |
| le sirop d’érable | maple syrup |
| le sucre (glace) | (powdered/confectioner’s) sugar |
| les tomates (séchées) | (sun-dried) tomatoes |
>>Learn about using articles in French to discuss food and ingredients!
What do La Chandeleur and Groundhog Day have in common?
Both holidays fall on le 2 février (February 2) and relate to weather predictions for the coming year since the date falls midway between the winter solstice and spring equinox. It also seems to coincide with a common northern hemisphere desire, among those who aren’t avid snow enthusiasts, to be rid of the winter cold sooner rather than later.
An old Candlemas poem reads:
“If Candlemas be fair and bright, then winter will have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, winter will not come again.”
But the prediction traditions can differ. Punxsutawny Phil predicts the end of winter in the US, but there are no such prognosticating critters in France. During Candlemas in France, the French simply pay attention to the weather. Rain on La Chandeleur is said to lead to 40 more days of rain, but a sunny day means winter is almost at an end.
The French have some little sayings related to Candlemas. Learning these proverbs would be a great way to practice your accent with our TruAccent speech recognition engine that helps you pronounce everything like a native French person.
- “Quand la Chandeleur est claire, l’hiver par derrière!” = “If Chandeleur is clear, winter is behind!”
- “Chandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perte.” = “Candlemas covered (in snow), forty days of loss.”
- “A la Chandeleur l’hiver se passe ou prend vigueur.” = “On Candlemas winter departs or grows stronger.”
Superstitions and traditions on La Chandeleur
There are many fun traditions and superstitions associated with France’s crêpes day. Pick and choose from this list to ensure good fortune for the coming year!
- Don’t eat your crêpes until after 8 p.m.
- Flip the first crêpe with your right hand and hold a coin in the other. Don’t drop the crêpe and you’ll have a good year.
- Place a coin on top of a crêpe while it’s cooking for good finances in the year to come.
- Keep the first crêpe to ward away sadness and scarcity. Store it all year.
- Put away the nativity display and other Christmas decorations on this day to officially end the holiday season.
- Carry a lit candle from la messe (mass) back to your home to promote a long life that year.
- Caution your loved ones: wax melting down only one side of a candle predicts a death.
- Flip six crêpes in a row to bring about a marriage that year.
- Use last year’s wheat (flour) to have a good harvest next year.
La Chandeleur or Candlemas celebrations around the world
Though staying home and filling crepes with your favorite flavors is a very common way to observe the day, celebrations on February 2 for La Chandeleur and related holidays can go far beyond crêpes. In Spanish-speaking countries, it’s known as Candelaria.
- Perú’s celebration of Candelaria is named a UNESCO “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” Visit Puno to experience one of South America’s top festivals.
- Bolivia has a boat procession where your boat or vehicle can be blessed with safe travels.
- Mexico brings colorful sawdust carpets and a mix of Aztec and Spanish traditions to its Candlemas celebrations. Tamales are preferred over crepes.
- Spain observes a public holiday and a variety of celebrations. The Spanish Canary Islands celebrate their patron saint the Virgin of Candelaria on August 16.
- Your local French language and culture organization may host a Chandeleur event.
- French restaurants often serve their specialty crepes on this day. Order your favorites with our guide to ordering in French restaurants.
Engage with French cultural holidays while learning to speak French
La Chandeleur is one of many holidays and cultural experiences that can provide fun (and delicious) contexts within which to practice your French. Through your experience of this holiday, you can learn words related to food ingredients and preparation as well as cultural traditions, beliefs, and superstitions. You’ll be joining people around the world in commemorating the change in season and anticipating the renewal of Spring. Celebrate with French-speaking friends and linger over crepes and conversation to practice your French speaking skills with confidence!