Jour des Crêpes Brings Joie de Vivre

This February, the North and South Hills French classrooms were full of “joie de vivre” (joy of life) as students sang a lively tune while pouring, flipping, folding, and eating crêpes with French teacher, Stephanie Potier, in celebration of Jour des Crêpes (Crepe Day)!

The French tradition, La Chandeleur, is named after the Roman tradition in which “les chandelles” (candles) were carried in a “défilé” (procession) to bring light during the darkness of winter. It is now also known as Jour des Crêpes because it is common to celebrate with family and friends to enjoy conviviality as well as share crêpes for a year of good luck.

Crêpes are thin, French pancakes that are golden and round like the sun. Celebrating and eating them reminds us that longer, warmer days are ahead and the cold of winter will soon come to an end. Tradition states that if one holds a gold or silver coin in one hand while flipping a crêpe in the other hand, and the crêpe turns over on the first attempt, there will be good luck in the family for the year. Students experienced making their crêpes and garnishing them with an array of toppings. They also had fun challenging each other to flip crêpes and gain good fortune! 

As part of their studies about l’hiver (winter), students in the French learning community embraced the joie de vivre spirit by learning the Carnaval theme song and writing winter theme stories to be shared. What a fun way to practice communication skills, gain confidence, and spread a cultural tradition of Joie de Vivre pendant l’hiver! Merci, Madame Potier, for such a fun experience!