Christmas time in Provence
Christmas markets in Provence
Walking in Provence in December, you’ll see that the spirit of Christmas is present in every village and Christmas markets are popping up everywhere. They’ll entice you with the smell of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, you find yourself singing along to the Christmas carols and the child in you will rejoice at the sight of all the twinkling lights and Father Christmas on his sleigh patiently listening to the excited children sharing their wish list.
The santons : the ‘small saints’ of Provence
Another Christmas tradition in Provence is the ‘santons’; small figurines that depict the scene in the manger at the birth of baby Jesus. The tradition of the Christmas creche dates back to the Middle Ages but the ‘santons’ – literally meaning small saints – came about after the French Revolution that forced churches to close and abolished midnight mass. And so, in Provence, people started to make small figurines out of breadcrumbs and recreate the manger scene in the privacy of their own home. Soon, the red clay of Provence was used to make the figurines instead. Today, the Christmas creches are very much part of the Christmas decor with beautifully painted santons representing the biblical characters and Provençal landscapes of rivers, rolling hills, bridges and olive groves leading towards the stable. There is a Santon museum in Fontaine de Vaucluse, founded in 1987, with around 2000 pieces on show and definitely worth a visit on your Provence walking tour.
Christmas desserts in Provence
There is a Provencal tradition of 13 desserts at Christmas time (in reference to the Lord’s supper) and you can find all the ingredients you need at the festive markets. The 13 dishes can vary slightly depending on the part of Provence that you come from but generally speaking, they comprise of a selection of nuts, raisins, dates, dried figs, quince paste, preserved fruit, a biscuit cooked with olive oil, white nougat, black nougat, red nougat, the ‘calisson’ from Aix en Provence (a dried fruit cake with orange blossom), clementine & water melon.
Provencal Christmas dinner
Food is always at the heart of any Christmas dinner and in Provence, you would not be disappointed! If you were to sit down with any family in Provence this Christmas, you would be handed a glass of champagne along with some bite size nibbles of mouth-watering green or black olive tapenade. For starters, you would be served oysters or foie gras with an onion or fig confit, the main dish would be poultry (chicken or turkey) stuffed with chestnuts, served with green beans and creamy potatoes, then would follow a stunning cheese platter with crusty bread. For dessert, if you still have room, you can try the selection of 13 traditional desserts or be tempted by the ‘bûche de noël’, the Christmas log that comes in many different flavours, chocolate, dried fruit, coffee, marscapone…
Wherever you will be this Christmas and whatever your traditions may be, the Intura team wish you a Merry Christmas from Provence!
