How to Celebrate French Candlemas (Jour des Crêpes)

The Catholic holiday of Candlemas, celebrated every year on February 2, is a feast of crà ªpes thats meant to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. In France, this holiday is called la Chandeleur, Fà ªte de la Lumià ¨re  or Jour des crà ªpes. Note that this holiday bears no relation to  Lyons Fà ªte des lumià ¨res, which takes place December 5 to 8. A Bit of Fortune-Telling Not only do the French eat a lot of crà ªpes on la Chandeleur, but they also do a bit of fortune-telling while making them. It is traditional to hold a coin in your writing hand and a crà ªpe pan in the other, then flip the crà ªpe into the air. If you manage to catch the crà ªpe in the pan, your family will supposedly be prosperous for the rest of the year. French Proverbs and Sayings for Chandeleur There are all kinds of French proverbs and sayings for Chandeleur; here are just a few. Note the similarities to the Groundhog Day predictions made in the US and Canada:À la Chandeleur, lhiver cesse ou reprend vigueurOn Candlemas, winter ends or gets worseÀ la Chandeleur, le jour croà ®t de deux heuresOn Candlemas, the day grows by two hoursChandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perteCandlemas covered (in snow), forty days lostRosà ©e à   la Chandeleur, hiver à   sa dernià ¨re heureDew on Candlemas, winter at its final hour The Crà ªpe-Throwing Game Heres a fun way to celebrate la Chandeleur in French classes. All you need are a  crà ªpe recipe, ingredients, paper plates and a small prize, such as a book or a $5 bill. Thanks to a fellow French teacher for sharing this. The day before, ask a couple of students to make a pile of crà ªpes and bring them into class (or make them yourself). For the sake of an even playing field, the crà ªpes need to be the same size, about 5 inches in diameter.Give each student a paper plate and write his or her name on the bottom. The object of the game is to catch a crà ªpe in the very center of the plate.Stand on a chair about 10 feet away from the students and throw a crà ªpe, frisbee-style, for students to catch. Once they catch the crà ªpe, they cant jiggle or flip it to try to reposition it on the plate.After each student has caught a crà ªpe, ask two adults, such as fellow teachers, to come into the  room and judge which crà ªpe is the most perfectly centered.  The winner gets a prize.Then you can all celebrate by eating crà ªpes with an assortment of fillings and/or toppings, which can be  sweet  or  savory.