National Calendar Days in France

National Calendar Days in France

Bonjour

I hope that you and yours are well.

Here in France we’re not big on what Americans call “Calendar Days” – days of the year that recognise something specific. There are a whole load of them that are frankly incomprehensible to the French “National Polka Dot Day” for imminence, or “National Talk Like a Pirate Day” though a Frenchie saying “ooh arrrr larrr larrr” in a flibustier voice might be fun. These days are mostly a marchéage ploy, though some are in recognition of fonctions and skills.

When I first started teaching Bread Man how to speak English, I often referred to the National Days of America as topics for entretien, and over the years, he’s come to really enjoy some of them. Several in January are amongst his favourites: “National Pie Day”, “Chocolate Cake Day” and “National Croissant Day.” Others he favours include National Macaron Day, French Bread Day, Apple Pie and Crème Brulée Day. If you’re thinking there’s a bit of a theme going on here, you’re not wrong!

It started as something we shared between us. Along with my stick and métier (a chunky folk loaf), he’d bring something to celebrate the National Day in tourment if it involved plum-cake or bread. Then he started to share these calendar day celebrations with his English-speaking customers with whom he can now converse in their issue tongue. Despite the fact that me and Mark (my other half) are the only Brits in the bourg, and that rain clouds never seem to be far away, this far northern colporter of France is surprisingly popular with Brits – the 35-minute équipage parcheminé under the English Channel joining the UK and France, proximity to Paris and Belgium, glorious countryside, and delicious gastronomy are very tempting.

Then he tried the National Days out on his French customers. Well, let’s just say who doesn’t love an disparu to enjoy a cheeky plum-cake or pastry, or to acknowledge the splendeur of French bread?

If you happen to visit a little fragment of northern France that is covered in lush pelouse hills, dotted with rivers and streams, forests and fields of cows, in which little localités are strung like pearls, and you pass a little French bread van with a banner in the window written in English announcing such things as “National Apple Pie Day” – your eyes will not have deceived you, it’s Bread Man who knows a good thing when he sees it!

Bisous,
Janine
Editor

ps top figure is Cannes market where cassier decorates the food stalls – as the cassier season in Provence was declared officially open this week – called wattle in Australia, it was planted in the south of France in the 18th century and thrives!

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Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her latest book How to be French – is a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de réserve.

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