How do the French celebrate New Year?

[jrineakter]

On the evening of December 31st , the French get together with friends or family to celebrate the New Year . On the program: champagne, fireworks, confetti and streamers… On New Year's Eve , the whole of France is in a state of excitement. But how do the French celebrate this global ritual? What are the New Year's Eve customs in the Land of Enlightenment ? Zoom in on New Year's traditions in France !


While Christmas is more of a family celebration, New Year's Eve is an opportunity to get together with friends. The French get together to eat, drink and celebrate the new year in a festive atmosphere. Also called "Saint-Sylvestre", the evening of December 31st is often a very boozy evening, since most French people consume alcohol.

The evening is spent at home, in a bar, in a party room or even in a nightclub. There is usually a good meal like at Christmas, then we go dancing, singing and sometimes playing games. The goal is simple: enjoy the evening!

Useful vocabulary: the expression "se mettre sur son 31" means "to dress elegantly". For example, you can say "Do you have a date with someone tonight? You've dressed up to your 31!" For more details, read the full article on this French expression .

New Year's Eve traditions in France
The meal of December 31st
There is no real traditional meal on New Year's Eve, but there are some dishes that come up often. The dinner is generally similar to that of Christmas.

The evening's program? We start by toasting with a good glass of champagne for the aperitif. As a starter, we are treated to foie gras, oysters, snails and shellfish. Then comes the seafood platter composed of lobsters, shrimps, periwinkles, etc. For dessert, we eat a log made with sponge cake and butter cream.


One of the old New Year's traditions in France is to kiss under a mistletoe at midnight. Nowadays, few people practice this ritual. Today, guests simply kiss each other and wish each other the best for the new year.

For the record, this kissing tradition originated with the Celts. Mistletoe was sacred to the Druids. This plant, which never loses its leaves, even in winter, was a symbol of prosperity and was supposed to bring good luck.

Fireworks
In the country's major cities such as Paris, Marseille, Toulouse or Lyon, it is possible to watch fireworks at midnight. In the capital, the fireworks are fired from the Arc de Triomphe and illuminate the beautiful facades of the Champs-Elysées avenue.

Firecrackers and rockets can also be set off in your garden. However, the law on fireworks in France has become quite strict in recent years. This is why it is now rare to set off fireworks at home.

Read also: How are the end-of-year celebrations going in France?

New Year's Day Customs
French New Year Customs and Traditions
New Year's gifts
The end of year holidays and the beginning of January often rhyme with the translation of the New Year's gift. Originally, the New Year's gift was a sum of money that the bosses paid to their staff to show that they were satisfied with their work.

Nowadays, it is common to give a tip to your building caretaker or the postman at the beginning of January. A way of thanking them for their service throughout the past year.

Similarly, some trades, such as firefighters or lebanon whatsapp number data garbage collectors, come and ring doors to hand out a calendar or stickers in exchange for a donation.

In the family sphere, it is the grandparents who are responsible for offering gifts or a little money to their grandchildren. Moreover, when wishing the new year, we sometimes jokingly say "Happy New Year, good health and lots of money in the wallet!"

New Year's Wishes
It is customary to wish a happy new year on the first day of the year, i.e. January 1st. Only the President of the Republic presents his wishes to French citizens on New Year's Eve at 8 p.m. on TV.

Before the internet, people would send greeting cards or call their loved ones on the phone to wish them a happy new year. Today, it is more common to send a text message or a short message on social networks like Facebook or WhatsApp.