Candlemas in Provence

If there’s one dish that young and old alike love, it’s crêpes. Whether savoury or sweet, with Sarrazin or wheat, everyone loves them!

In Provence, as elsewhere, crêpes are a great way to bring family and friends together for a convivial meal where everything is eaten with the fingers 😊

The origins of Candlemas

Candlemas is an ancient festival, whose origins can be traced back to the Roman Empire. However, it was during the Middle Ages that the festival of Candlemas as we know it was born.

Candlemas is celebrated 40 days after Christmas and the birth of the Christ child, on 2 February.

Originally, a wheat-based dish was eaten to bring back spring more quickly and to pray for an abundant wheat harvest.

During the famine years, the tradition was preserved, but slightly modified.

A fine wheat lace was made from the year’s surplus flour.

That’s how pancakes were born!

Their round shape was also reminiscent of the sun, which is also one of the reasons why they were made at Candlemas, the time of year when the days lengthen the fastest.When the first pancake was cooked, a gold coin was held in the left hand. When the first crêpe was cooked, a gold coin was held in the left hand. The crêpe was popped with the right hand, and if it was well received, a gold coin was placed in its centre, the crêpe was folded and placed on top of a cupboard until the next Candlemas, when the coin was given to a poor person.

Candlemas in Provence

Candlemas in Provence is all about pancakes, but that’s not all!

It’s also the time of the delicious Navettes de Saint Victor, which take their name from the Abbaye Saint-Victor located on the heights of the Vieux Port in our beautiful Marseille.

During Candlemas, green candles are blessed in this beautiful abbey, as well as the navettes that have always been made in a bakery near the abbey. Shaped like a boat, they are said to represent the landing of the Black Madonna in the 13th century, while others compare them to beautiful ears of wheat. Even today, on Candlemas Day, there is a procession from the Abbey to the Old Port.

Our elders keep a navette and a green candle for a year, and on the following Candlemas the candle is burnt and the navette eaten!

Plaisirs et Maisons de Provence invites you to stay in one of its holiday rentals and share a gourmet moment of conviviality and sharing.

If you would like to discover all that Provence has to offer, please contact our agency Plaisirs & Maisons de Provence or request a tailor-made quote by clicking on this link.

And as a bonus, the recipe for the crepes: