2 February isn't only the "double-date" sale day many shoppers look forward to. It is also the date of La Chandeleur, the crêpe festival held in France every year. Let's get to know this celebration.
Crêpes: A Symbol of the Sun
A cooked crêpe is a round, golden disc that looks like the sun. That is why the crêpe became a symbol of the sun, used for fortune-telling in agricultural communities during the La Chandeleur festival.
The Origins of La Chandeleur
La Chandeleur, also known as National Crêpe Day, falls on 2 February each year, 40 days after Christmas. On this day the French celebrate by eating all kinds of crêpes in remembrance of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, which also makes it an important religious day for Roman Catholics.
The name La Chandeleur comes from la chandelle, meaning "candle". Tradition holds that the festival began in 472 AD, when Pope Gelasius I (Gélase Ier), head of the Catholic Church, established it to celebrate the presentation of Jesus at the temple. On the night of the festival, people walked in procession holding candles and praying together, after which the Pope handed out crêpes to the pilgrims who had arrived in Rome.
After the procession, the faithful would go into the church to take a blessed, lit candle back to their homes, taking care that it didn't go out along the way. The candles were believed to have great powers: for example, if candle wax was dripped onto an egg, the egg would hatch, and lighting the candle during a storm would protect against lightning.
Crêpe traditions arose at the same time. It was believed that if you didn't make crêpes on La Chandeleur, that year's wheat crop would fall sick and die. There were also beliefs involving gold coins while making crêpes. For instance, placing a coin on the crêpe as you cook it brings good luck. In some communities, people hold a coin in the right hand while flipping the crêpe with the left, and must never drop it; if you succeed, you'll be lucky all year. Some people don't eat their crêpe at all, but hide it in a drawer, believing it will bring good fortune and happiness in the year ahead.
How La Chandeleur Is Celebrated
On La Chandeleur, French families celebrate by making and eating crêpes at home. The festival is not unique to France; it is also celebrated in Belgium and Switzerland. Today, the candlelit prayer processions and beliefs about blessed candles have largely faded, except in Belgium, where the tradition lives on.
