Christmas in Provence

The calendar, December 4 to February 2

What sets Provence apart isn’t the crèche itself (people make them everywhere). It’s the way the crèche fits into a series of customs, one after another.

For general timing, see when to put up the nativity. What follows is specific to Provence.

Saint Barbara’s wheat

On December 4, families plant wheat (or lentils) in three small dishes lined with damp cotton. Three, traditionally, for the Holy Trinity. The dishes are kept somewhere warm and bright, and by the 24th the shoots are about 4 inches tall. They go into the crèche, often tied with a red ribbon, and onto the table for the Christmas Eve dinner. It’s an easy custom to try at home: a handful of wheat berries from the grocery store is all you need.

As the Provençal saying goes, “Quand lou blad vèn bèn, tout vèn bèn”: when the wheat grows well, all goes well. Tall green shoots promise a good year. Yellow, droopy ones, not so much (though really it mostly comes down to how much light they get). See how in nativity greenery.

The gros souper

The gros souper (“big supper”) is the meal on Christmas Eve, before Midnight Mass. The name is misleading: it’s meatless, because the feast hasn’t started yet. “Big” refers to the number of dishes, not how rich they are.

The table is set a special way: three white tablecloths layered on top of each other, three candlesticks and the three dishes of wheat. The number three is everywhere. An extra place, called “the poor man’s place,” is set for any stranger who might stop by.

The dishes vary by family and town: fish, winter vegetables, cardoons, cauliflower, and snails in some homes. There’s no one menu, so be wary of any list that claims to be the official one.

The thirteen desserts

They’re served after the Christmas Eve dinner and, by custom, left on the table until December 27. Thirteen, for Christ and the twelve apostles.

The ones almost everyone includes:

• The four mendiants (“beggars”): walnuts or hazelnuts, dried figs, almonds and raisins. Their colors match the robes of four religious orders of begging friars.
• The pompe à huile: a flatbread made with olive oil and orange-blossom water. You tear it by hand and never cut it with a knife.
• White nougat and dark nougat.
• Fresh fruit: grapes saved from the fall harvest, pears, apples, oranges, and winter melon in some areas.
• Dates.

The rest is up to each family: candied fruit, calissons (almond candies), oreillettes (fried pastries), quince paste. Lists differ from village to village, and that’s normal. Setting it at thirteen specific items is more recent than the custom itself.

The pastrage and the pastorale

Two living traditions closely tied to the crèche.

The pastrage is the offering of a lamb during Midnight Mass. Shepherds in traditional dress bring in a lamb, often in a little flower-covered cart pulled by a ram, while a pipe and drum play. Several villages still keep it, especially Les Baux-de-Provence.

The pastorale is a folk play in Provençal about the villagers’ journey to the stable. The Pastorale Maurel, written in Marseille in 1844 by Antoine Maurel, is the most performed and is still staged every winter in many towns. It made many of the crèche’s characters famous. See our page on pastorales.

For churches, villages and museums where you can see a Provençal crèche, see where to see nativity scenes in France.

The santon fairs

The Marseille santon fair dates back to 1803 and has been held ever since. It usually runs from late November to late December. Many other towns and villages in Provence have their own fairs, including Aubagne, home to many santon workshops.

Dates and places change from year to year, so check with tourist offices or the workshops themselves. For why it’s worth buying at a fair rather than a shop, see where to buy santons.

The language

Some nativity words come from Provençal, and knowing them helps you understand your figures:

• Santoun: “little saint.” Hence santon.
• Lou ravi: the ravi, the man filled with wonder.
• Lou boumian: the Bohemian.
• Cacho-fiò: the Yule log, carried in by the youngest and oldest members of the family and blessed before the Christmas Eve dinner.
• Calèna or Calendo: Christmas.

The site’s other terms are gathered in the glossary.