#62 - Crêpes, Kings & Carnivals: France’s fabulous Winter Festivities

Join Janine and Oli for a deliciously fun dive into France’s winter celebrations! From the regal galette des rois of Epiphany to the crêpe-flipping madness of La Chandeleur, and the glittering parades of Carnival, they unpack the traditions, food, and humour of France’s January-March festivities. 

Expect plenty of laughs, cultural nuggets, and some questionable crêpe-flipping skills.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 2:31 Crêpes, Kings & Carnivals
• 18:56 Where to find Janine

Transcript

Podcast 62 - Crêpes, Kings & Carnivals: France’s fabulous Winter Festivities 

Janine:Bonjour, mes amis! Welcome to The Good Life France podcast. I’m Janine, your unapologetically croissant-obsessed host. I was born in London, however I’ve had a home in France for almost 21 years – in the far north, a department called Pas-de-Calais. A lot of people ask me, why is it called “Not of Calais” because pas, spelled p. a. s. means ‘not’ as in not at all, in French, but actually in this instance pas means ‘narrow passage’ and refers to the Straits of Dover, the bit of the English Channel that runs between France and the UK – which is just 21 miles wide at one point! I live here with many animals, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and geese. I’ve written several books about France, and I’m writing a romance at the moment – of course set in France, and I’m the editor of The Good Life France Magazine which is free at magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com and The Good Life France website – everything you want to know about France and more. When I’m not writing, travelling, renovating my old house, or looking after my animals – I love to chat to you on this podcast alongside my podcast partner, Olivier Jauffrit. 

Oli: A very big bonjour to you all, yes indeed, I am Oli, your baguette-wielding co-host and I live in Lyon in the south of France which is nicknamed the capital of Gastronomy as we have amazing restaurants here. Lyon is famous for being home to the first alien embassy on earth - maybe, because we have a history of UFO sightings here. It’s also where the first hot air balloon ride took place in 1784 – fuelled by scrunched up paper and olive oil! And we are proud that the world’s first veterinary school was founded in Lyon in 1762! I work as a radio presenter in Lyon and on several radio stations in France. Well that’s us, and the places where we live – and now, Janine let’s reveal what we’re going to be talking about today! 

Janine: Today, we’re diving headfirst into the glittering world of French winter festivals - January, February, and March are absolutely buzzing with traditions, food, and, let’s face it, excuses to party.

Oli: It’s true, Winter is a busy month for festivities – if there’s one thing the French know a lot about, it’s how to make winter less “bleak” and more “brioche!” Let’s get started! 

Janine: So, January… a quiet month after all the Christmas events you might think? But oh no, January has plenty to celebrate including gastronomy. The French need little encouragement to slather their food with butter and cheese, especially in winter. Cassoulet, tartiflette, potatoes swimming in melted butter, cheesy gratins, and rich meat stews are wintry favourites. However, if there is one dish that captures the sentiment of winter in France, it would be the galette des rois – the ‘cake of kings’. A crisp and golden masterpiece of pastry, it is the most regal of all pâtisserie concoctions thanks to a golden paper crown traditionally perched on top!

Oli: The ‘kings’ (‘rois’) of the title comes from the three kings visiting baby Jesus at the beginning of January – also known as Epiphany in the Christian calendar. After Christmas and New Year when you’re full to bursting with oysters and foie gras, the beginning of the year can feel a bit like an anti-climax. Galettes des rois are the ideal post-Christmas treat and eating them is popular through the whole of January.

Janine:  Picture this: a big flat flaky puff pastry pie, filled with unctuous almond cream, and a tiny figurine hidden inside. And let me tell you, the fève is no ordinary figurine. It can be anything—a baby Jesus, a lucky charm, or, if you’re shopping at the more modern bakeries, even a tiny Eiffel Tower.

Oli: I’ve seen handbags, tiny shoes, sometimes you get limited edition feves, or glass beans! In Clermont-Ferrand, there’s a bakery that offers a real diamond, worth 400 euros and weighing 0.07 carats, it is one by whoever finds a bean in the shape of a small rolling pin in their Galette des Rois! And in Dordogne a teenager recently featured in a newspaper with her collection of 10,000 fèves!

Janine: Which inevitably leads to that awkward moment when someone almost breaks a tooth on it. Or even worse swallows it! 

Oli: Tradition Janine, we overcome the problems! Whoever finds the figurine, the little feve, gets to wear a paper golden crown and reign as king or queen for the day, which might be the closest any of us gets to royalty. Personally, I think the real prize is getting the last slice.

Janine: Talking of tradition it’s customary for the youngest person to sit under the table and decide who gets which slice—no peeking that way or choosing who gets to wear the crown!

Oli: So you mentioned flaky puff pastry filled with almond cream, and this is popular in the north of France. In the south of France though they have a brioche version with sticky candied fruits and pearl sugar on top – a bit like an edible disco ball!

Janine: An edible disco ball? There’s a strange thought. I’ll probably dream about that tonight! There is one person who is not able to enjoy the whole razzmatazz of this festive ceremony. The President of France is not allowed to eat a galette des rois with a fève inside. According to rules made during the French Revolution, the country can have a president but no king so he can’t win the feve and wear the crown! 

Oli: So, what else is on in January? We have the winter sales which is always good, and the Truffle Festival in Sarlat—where you can sniff out black gold and pretend to be a food critic.

Janine: I’ve been to that festival, it’s fabulous! There are stalls with great big steaming cauldrons of scrambled eggs which are dished up with grated truffle over the top.

Both: Mmmm

Oli: Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but my partner says truffles - which we call the black diamonds of gastronomy - are her best friend in the kitchen! At this festival, you can join truffle hunts, watch cooking demonstrations, and even attend a truffle market where you can buy these little treasures.

Janine: They’re not cheap but black truffles are cheaper than white truffles which can sell for huge amounts of money – a 1.5 kilogram white truffle sold for $330,00 in 2007. Black truffles are actually much more affordable as they’re not so rare, I’ve seen them for 10 euros for a small one, but the bigger ones, or those that are considered special, and there are truffle negotiators who decide this, they search for truffles for restaurants – they can be expensive too.

Oli: True but they are worth it. Especially when you pair freshly shaved truffle with a creamy risotto…

Both: mmmm. 

Janine: Even if you’re not into truffles, you can just enjoy the atmosphere because Sarlat is ridiculously charming, with its cobblestone streets, medieval golden stone buildings and gourmet food shops as well as a brilliant Saturday morning market. 

Oli: Speaking of charming towns, let’s talk about the Carnival of Limoux, a town near Carcassonne. This one is for the marathon party-goers. Venice may boast the oldest and Rio the largest, but Limoux claims to have the longest carnival in the world. Around 600 dancers belonging to 30 different troupes ensure that these festivities can be sustained three times a day, every weekend – plus Mardi Gras – from the end of January until early April. Yes - three whole months of weekend parades, costumes, and music. And it’s not your typical over-the-top affair—it has a more intimate, quirky vibe. Here, there are no carnival floats, no long parades. Events unfold in the intimacy of the medieval square with a graceful beauty which has been described as a miraculous combination of immobility and movement. The performers wear masks and traditional costumes, and typically, the dancers advance around 40 metres in 20 minutes. There’s a lot of symbolism tied to the town’s history and wine culture. And let’s be honest, the wine is a major draw here.

Janine: Oh, absolutely. Limoux is famous for its sparkling wine, Blanquette de Limoux, which it’s said was around long before Champagne. The last night of the carnival is known as la nuit de la blanquette, named in honour of the wine. These festive companions share a heritage that stretches back to the 16th century, and according to some sources, the slow rhythmic gestures of the carnival dance represent the peasants pressing the grapes with their feet.

Oli: Now onto the snowy peaks of the French Alps, and if you’re a fan of snow, the Grande Odyssée dog-sledding race is a must-see.

Janine: Oh yes! This event takes place in the Alps every January and is one of the most challenging dog-sled races in the world. It’s like the Tour de France, but with huskies and snow. I went to Grenoble in January and from there up into the snowy mountains of Isere and I saw a couple of stage of the race and met loads of huskies, I wanted to take them all home with me, I reckon my 4 dogs Ronnie and Reggie the Labradors and Nina and Lady the Australian Shepherd dogs would love them! For me part of the fun of being there was probably as much about eating raclette melted cheese over potatoes and ham – gooey and utterly delicious. It keeps you roasty toasty warm! 

Oli: Did you know it is the law to eat raclette in winter in France? Not really, but it should be! Lol! Ok mes amies – let’s move on into February when the big event is yet another foodie one - we’ve got La Chandeleur, or Candlemas. It’s a day when the French combine religion, tradition, and an obsessive love of crêpes. Crepes are like paper thin pancakes, not the American-style fluffy pancakes. And La Chandeleur is a big deal in France.

Janine:  It’s celebrated 40 days after Christmas, on 2nd February, and in my local garden centre they give free crepes away on this day! I mean everyone in France eats crepes on this day – this is another law. Ok not really… but it should be!

Oli: The name Chandeleur, comes from the Latin candelorum festum, which means festival of candles and in English language is known as Candlemas. There is evidence that Pope Gelasius I (who died in the year 496) helped to establish the festival of Candlemas and was said to feed crêpes to the pilgrims who visited his church.

Janine: La Chandeleur isn’t just about eating crêpes; it’s about flipping them! Tradition says if you can flip a crêpe with a coin in your hand, you’ll have no financial worries for a year. It sounds simple in theory, but in practice it’s quite hard! Once I did it and the crêpe ended up stuck to the ceiling, and I somehow dropped the coin into the batter. And actually I was not free of financial worries that year so – perhaps the legend is true! 

Oli: There are lots of fun legends and old wives tales about La Chandeleur and Candlemas like, if you light a candle in church on the day of Candlemas and you manage to carry it home without the flame going out, you will survive the year!

Janine: Have you ever tried that Oli?

Oli: erm no…. 

Janine: Ok how about this one.  If you toss your crèpe on the armoire – yes everyone in France has an armoire – perhaps! - and it sticks – that is a sign of good luck and prosperity for the year (or a sign you need to get a cloth out and clean up!)

Oli: So have you tried that one Janine?

Janine: I haven’t but my neighbour Jean-Claude has and his wife wasn’t very happy about having to clean it all up so I am not sure it is a sign of good luck! 

Oli: Okay – this is a good one. If it is raining on the day of Candlemas – it will rain for the next 40 days. If it is overcast and cold – winter will last for another 40 days. If it is a clear day – winter is over.  Although having said that, there is also a saying that if it is sunny on Candlemas then winter will return and bring misfortune with it!

Janine: A sort of Punxsutawney Phil groundhog weather predictor thing! I love that film groundhog day!  And, Oli, that makes me think about the quirky festivals of February? Like the Fête de l’Ours—the Bear Festival in the Pyrenees which takes place in February. 

Oli: Oh, I love this one! It’s an ancient tradition where locals dress up as bears and hunters to re-enact a legend about a bear who once terrorised the villagers – allegedly!

Janine: Right, and there’s a lot of growling, chasing, and dancing involved. It’s a bit wild, and pretty weird - but fun.

Oli: Honestly, where else can you see someone in a bear costume rolling about on the floor pretending to brawl in a very gentle way with the villagers who get covered in mud? It’s actually so special it’s UNESCO listed for its heritage. And now let’s get to the end of February and the beginning of March – carnival season in France. The biggest one is Nice Carnival on the French Riviera. Think elaborate floats, flower battles, and—you guessed it—a whole lot of partying. And just down the road is the Menton Lemon Festival – another carnival featuring giant orange and lemon sculptures.

Janine: I’ve been to both those carnivals and they are brilliant for blowing the winter blues away I kept finding bits of confetti in my handbag for months afterwards! These carnivals really are a wonderful sign that spring is on the way. 

Oli: And there’s a great carnival near you Janine – in the city of Dunkirk, where people sing sea shanties and the Mayor of the city throws fish into the crowd from the balcony of the town hall

Janine: Yep, because nothing says “party” like a flying fish! But you’re right, this is a brilliant carnival, there are no fancy floats, but there are giants, we love our giants in the north – they’re historic characters, giant mannequins that join in the parade! Dunkirk Carnival is  said to be the noisiest carnival in France, loads of singing and dancing, everyone dresses up in bright colours or fancy dress and there’s an off the scale feel good factor. Everyone gives everyone else a kiss on the cheek as they pass complete strangers – I have never been kissed so much in my life as I have at this carnival! This isn’t a carnival for spectators – you have to join in! The carnival takes places in sections over several weeks including enormous parties, and people parades and at one of the parades, the Mayor of Dunkirk chucks hundreds of packets of smoked herring down on the crowd from the balcony of the town hall because this carnival celebrates the days when men would leave the town to go to fish in Iceland for 6 months. It’s crazy but fantastic! 

Oli: It sounds weird but wonderful! So, whether you’re eating galettes in January, flipping crêpes in February, or dodging flying fish in March, France’s winter festivals are your perfect excuse to indulge.

Janine: Absolutely. And if you ever needed a reason to visit France in the off-season, now you’ve got several.

Oli: Alright, that’s it for this week. Don’t forget to follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a review—it’s the fève in our podcast galette!

Janine: See you next time, mes amies. Until then, keep the crêpes flipping and the confetti flying.

Oli: Thank you so much, a massive merci beaucoup, to everyone for listening to our podcast in nearly 150 countries all around the world! And a massive thank you for sharing the podcast with your friends and family, we’re truly grateful when you do that. You’ve been listening to Janine Marsh and me Olivier Jauffrit. 

Janine: And you can find me  and heaps of information about France – where to visit, culture, history, recipes – everything France - at thegoodlifefrance.com where you can subscribe to the podcast, my weekly newsletter about France and our totally brilliant, totally free magazine which you can read at magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com 

But for now, it’s au revoir from me.

Olivier: And goodbye from me.

Janine: Speak to you soon!