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La Fête de
St. Nicolas

La Fête
des Lumiérs

Le Noël

Le Réveillion

La Fête
des Rois

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La Fête de Rois, known as "Three Kings Day" or "Epiphany" is usually celebrated on the

first Sunday of each new year. The celebration includes a king, a queen, and a special

cake called "galette de rois" which is sold in pastry shops throughout France.

 

 

There are three important elements that make up the French celebration. The first

element isthe "galette de rois", which is a a puff pastry. In some regionsof France, the

galette isstuffed with an almond paste called frangipan. In other regions, such as in the

South of France, it is served with candied fruit and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Although the galette can be bought at local bakery or grocery store, most families still

bake theircakes at home. When a cake is purchased at the local bakery or grocery store,

it also comes with crowns for the king and queen.

 

The second traditon is the féve. Originally the féve refers to a type of bean, but in

French tradition, it was was a small porcelain piece, often in the shape of a person, that

would be placed discreetly in the cake. The first porcelain féves were made in Germany

in the 1870's. The traditional theme was to recreate the nativity scene characters. As

féves became popular, many different shapes and types were produced. Since the

1890's the themes have greatly expanded to include collections of féves in the shape of

lucky charms or household objects. The traditon has

become very commercialized.

 

The third tradition is the crowning of the king and queen. The féve is discreetly placed in

the galette des rois prior to serving it. The cake is then cut so that there is a piece for

everyone who is present as well as a spare piece called la part des pauvres. This extra

slice is cut as a symbol for loved ones who are no longer with us and for those who are

less fortunate. Today, the slice is also designated for the unexpected visitor and is

saved for a later treat.

 

Traditionally, the youngest family member would slide underneath the table and

designate how the slices would be distributed. This prevents cheating since the baker of

the cake does not choose how the slices are handed out. After each family member was

served, the cake would be eaten and the person who discovered the féve was king for

the day and selected his queen. Many families now place two féves in the cake, one for

the king and one for the queen to avoid family disputes. The designated king and queen

wear gold paper crowns.

La Fête des Rois is a wonderful ending to the Christmas season. Many French schools

celebrate this holiday by serving the galette to students and creating crowns to wear. |

There are also many French songs that celebrate la fête des Rois. To see a link of the

French songs go to the following link:

Comptines Pour la Fête des Rois

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