Christmas in France

Christmas in France falls on December 25, with Père Noël traditionally visiting on Christmas Eve.

Handcrafted decorations from local markets and santons, small clay figurines used for a nativity scene, are part of the festive setup described by France.fr. In Provence the crèche and santon traditions are especially strong: santons date to a Marseille fair in 1803, the baby Jesus is placed in the stable after midnight on Christmas Eve, the Three Kings arrive at Epiphany on January 6, and tradition says the crib is dismantled at Candlemas on February 2. Provençal customs also include planting Sainte-Barbe wheat on December 4 and Pastorale nativity theatre in Provençal.

France.fr's festive food overview lists oysters and other seafood as classic starters, poultry such as turkey with chestnuts, capon or stuffed goose as the main course, and the bûche de Noël as the traditional dessert, served either as a cake or as an iced version. Regional sweets include Alsatian Kouglof, Breton shortbread and gingerbread from the Vosges.

Children traditionally leave their shoes or slippers by the fire on Christmas Eve for Père Noël to fill.

The festive figure most associated with Christmas in France is Père Noël.

In Provence the table ends with 13 desserts, a number that refers to Christ and his 12 apostles. There is no fixed list, but the four mendiants, dates, nougat and gibassier are typical.

For the rituals, dishes and gift bringers in other countries, browse our Christmas around the world hub, compare customs side by side in the Christmas Traditions Explorer or plan your own December with the Christmas checklist.