How to Celebrate La Chandeleur

By eHow Holidays & Celebrations Editor

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In France, the second day of February is a religious day and celebrated like Candlemas. La Chandeleur is also day for predicting the future similar to Groundhog Day in the United States. However, it is not a furry critter that foresees your fortune - it's a crêpe!

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Candles
Matches
Coins
Pans
Spatulas

La Chandeleur as a Celebration

Step1

Celebrate Candlemas by taking a candle to church to be blessed by the clergyperson.

Step2

Light as many candles in your home by using the blest candle. This will spread the blessing around your home.

Step3

Invite family and friends to join you for a traditional crêpe lunch or dinner.

Step4

Attempt to make beignets instead of crêpes. Both are traditional goodies for La Chandeleur.

Step5

Follow the directions below to predict your future.

La Chandeleur to Predict the Future

Step1

Make crêpe batter.

Step2

Find a French franc or another lucky coin.

Step3

Cook a crêpe on one side.

Step4

Loosen the crêpe from the pan with your spatula/pancake turner.

Step5

Hold the franc/coin in your weakest hand (for example, the left if you are right-handed), when the crêpe is ready to be turned.

Step6

Attempt single-handedly to flip the crêpe.

Step7

Enjoy good luck for the rest of the year if the crêpe lands perfectly in the pan. Suffer bad luck if the crêpe does not land well - or try again!

Step8

Enjoy your crêpes with jam, butter, powdered sugar, or make a wonderful filling of meats, cheeses, seafood, mushrooms, and vegetables.

Step9

Learn the French rhyme: "Quand la Chandeleur est claire, l'hiver est par derriere; Chandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perte!" (If February 2 is clear, no more winter to fear; if the Chandeleur is overcast, forty days winter to last).

Tips & Warnings

In the Christian religion, Candlemas celebrates the day when baby Jesus Christ was taken to the Temple forty days after his birth. He was brought before Simeon who declared Him to be "the Light of the World." The celebration of La Chandeleur originates from the Middle Ages when candles, especially blest candles, were thought to chase the evil demons away thereby protecting a home.
Remember to be careful around the open flames of the candles.
Practice flipping your crêpe before you try your luck.
Grease your crêpe pan heavily with butter or oil in order to make the flip easier.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 In my French classes, we celebrate "La Chandeleur" with a crêpe-catching contest. I stand up on a chair and throw a crêpe to each student. Each student tries to catch it in the center of his or her plate. The student who catches the crêpe most perfectly in the center wins $5.00. After all the students have caught a crêpe, I ask someone else on staff to come in and judge. Students put their name on the bottom of the plate and the judge has no idea which crêpe belongs to which student. Make the crêpes smaller than a typical paper plate and try to keep them all the same size. I usually give the student who makes the crêpes a cut out circle indicating how big to make each crêpe. While each student is up for a turn, the class encourages him or her by chanting "Allez, Allez, Allez." Other students make crêpes for eating, and some students bring in pie filling and Cool Whip for the crêpes. We have a lot of fun with this activity, and the students who win $5.00 certainly feel that their "perfect catch" was a sign of good monetary luck for the coming year! Amusez-vous bien!

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