Day 217 (2 February 2011) – La Chandeleur: Crêpe Day!
Americans have their groundhogs. But the French have their foods. And while Americans are busy watching groundhogs to see if they see their shadows, the French are busy making crêpes! And with that introduction, a happy Crêpe Day to you all!
I just learned about this celebration a week or so ago, as Frédérique was explaining it to us. I can’t say that I understood much more than people in France eat a lot of crêpes in February, and that February 2nd has some kind of religious significance. So using the trusty Internet, I googled “Chandeleur” and came up with this link. I’m not clear on the connection between eating crêpes and the purification of the Virgin Mary, other than the feast portion, I suppose. But who can explain Groundhog Day to foreigners? Who wants to?
Anyway, we joined in by eating crêpes for lunch today and we are looking forward to more crêpes throughout the month. Chloe told me I Americanized mine when I put on maple syrup and cashew butter. This was after she filled hers with chocolate chips my mom brought to us from the U.S. in November (since we can’t find the kind we like here). I will say that my crêpe did not see its shadow, which means either there will be 6 more weeks of crêpe eating, a cold spring, or the Virgin Mary is not being properly purified.
Today’s photo is another from yesterday’s shopping excursion at Leclerc. Many things are on sale in support of La Chandeleur including the delicious Bonne Maman jams. For you Americans, that 0,62€ translates into less than 90 cents for a huge jar, a heck of a deal!
French Sabbatical 
at least $4 here for Bonne Maman..is this government subsidized jam?
[…] on February 2, I wrote about La Chandeleur or Crêpe Day in France. I included a photo of the Bonne Maman jam we […]