French Saints Day | an Age Old Tradition

“Today’s my second birthday,” my husband said to me one day years ago.  “You have to wish me a Bonne Fête!” Me, a lover of all things birthday – the giving, the receiving, the shopping, the handmade gifts, the party, the American cake, the wish, the song – my curiosity was sparked. A second birthday? He went on to explain a little about this age old tradition called Saints Day. 

Back in the day, a child’s name was chosen based on the Saint Day. Born on August 25^th? Your name was Louis. A November 4th baby? Meet Caroline! Nowadays the Saint name can be given as a middle name, or can be sort of seen as a second birthday (my preferred choice!). Calm down, calm  down, my husband says. He could see my excitement bubbling. Looking at the French Name Days calendar, I could see that almost every day was a Saint Day (there are certain exceptions like Dec. 25th and Jan. 1st) and some days are given more than one name. Although I'm not French, I am married to a Frenchman, therefore I should be entitled to take part in the French Saints Day.

 

Today is Sunday, December 11, 2011 and it's my Saint’s Day, Saint Daniel.

Actually, I love that I share this day with my father-in-law, whom I call my joli-Papa; his name is Daniel, and mine is Danielle, we share this Saints Day. All close variations of the name shall share the same day. We’ll see who calls who first today!! Bonne fête, joli-Papa!!

In English, we might call this “a celebration of name days.” It’s a tradition that's been celebrated in Catholic and Orthodox countries since the Middle Ages. It’s in fact celebrated in many countries in Europe and Latin America. Today, it’s still customary to give a small gift. Hmm..wonder what I’ll receive today. At the very least, you’re sure to get Bonne Fête phone calls, texts and facebook posts. What about the cake? Cupcakes? Ah, c'mon!

French Culture - a Part of Everyday Life

Tune in to the weather report here in France and you’ll find the meteorologists telling you about more than just the ever-present sun in Cannes and the snow in the Alps. At the very end of the forecast, they give you the Saint Day name for tomorrow. My favorite weather person, chef du service météo, Evelyne Dhéliat of channel TF1, tells us with jubilance each night of tomorrow’s Saint Day. She does this with her signature point toward the camera, big smile, and a tilt of the head. She’s my favorite because she’s the most elegant, the most impeccably dressed of them all, and sports the perfect short blonde hair style. As a lady of a certain age, she is the epitome of the French woman.

But if you don’t tune in to French weather reports, and you’d like to know what the upcoming Saint Day is, you can check out this website for a complete list of names for the whole year. www.frenchsaintsdays.com

Not only is the list a great way to browse typical French names, but on their home page you can pop in your email and receive a daily Saints Day reminder. This helpful site even offers a free widget, which displays the current Saints Day name. The widget can easily be put on your Blog or Website. See it on the top left of my blog? Don't worry, it's easy! Just follow their instructions. And how great is that? With all of these great tools, never again will you forget to wish your friend, colleague or family member a Bonne Fête!