
Happy New Year! We hope you had a great holiday season, and we’re excited to get back to work with you. To help us start 2023 on the right foot, here are some fun facts about the traditional French New Year’s Eve celebrations.
A traditional French New Year’s Eve would be called Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre, and it’s a fairly late start.
Réveillon is a French New Year’s Eve tradition that involves a long meal and party, often in a restaurant. The word “réveillon” means “late-night feast,” and the early part of the evening features an elaborate dinner with friends or family. After dinner, you might dance at a nightclub or go to watch fireworks outside with strangers.
The first thing the French do at the stroke of midnight is to exchange kisses.
The first thing the French do at the stroke of midnight is to exchange kisses. It’s tradition! Kissing is a way to wish good luck, good health, good fortune, and happiness. For example:
- If you kiss someone on their hand or forehead it means you wish them success in life.
- If you kiss somebody on both cheeks it means that you hope they are healthy and happy throughout the year ahead.
- If you kiss somebody on your own cheek (and then theirs) it means that you want them to be as beautiful as a rose all year long!
New Year’s Eve is one of the most celebrated holidays in France. It’s a time to gather with friends and family, eat good food, drink champagne (or rosé), sing songs, watch fireworks and share wishes for the year ahead.
However, French New Year’s traditions are different from American celebrations on this side of the Atlantic. For example:
- The French don’t countdown to midnight like the English do—they count down all night! At exactly 11 p.m., everyone starts counting down from 20 minutes until midnight (in French), when everyone cheers and gets ready to welcome 2019 with open arms.
- In England, it’s common practice to make resolutions at the stroke of midnight—but in France? Not so much! Instead of making promises about what you’re going to change about yourself for next year (like going vegan or getting more exercise), it’s customary in many regions around France for each guest at a party or celebration gathering place (called la maison) to bring along a small gift such as chocolates or pastries as bienvenue (“welcome”) presents upon arrival; these are typically shared amongst guests before they go home after celebrating together through singing or dancing until late into the night.”
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about some of the traditions that the French celebrate on New Year’s Eve. As we said before, this is a night for family and friends to come together and enjoy each other’s company. It’s also a time when many people will make resolutions for the coming year, so it’s important to keep things fun!