Today (Part 1 of 2)

What is today?

Today, February 2, is Groundhog Day in the U.S. and Chandeleur in France. 

In the U.S., people eagerly await the arrival of Punxatawney Phil and his prognostication about a short or long winter.  If Phil sees his shadow (which means the sun is shining), then it's 6 more weeks of winter weather.  If Phil doesn't see his shadow (which means it is cloudy, rainy or snowing), then Spring will arrive early. 

In France, there is no furry rodent that emerges from hibernation to signal a long Winter or early Spring.  Instead, the French look out their windows at the sky to learn what is to come.  Our French friend Eliane explained:

Le dicton du jour--"A la chandeleur l'hiver meurt ou prend vigueur."    

The saying of the day--"On chandeleur winter dies or becomes stronger."    

So, what is the best feature of Chandeleur in France?  On Chandeleur, eating crepes is customary.  Crepes represent the sun (because they are round and golden) or they represent prosperity (since they are made with flour saved from last year's harvest).  Knowing the French, we suspect eating crepes today is a legal requirement.  Because we want to live local and not get carted off to the Bastille by the fearsome Crepe Police, we enjoyed some crepes at lunch today. 

Crêpe mixte (jambon et fromage)

Yum!

Chandeleur, which occurs on the midpoint between the Winter solstice and the Spring equinox, has a pagan origin and was absorbed into the Christian tradition as the day on which Jesus was presented at the temple, 40 days after his birth.  The day is celebrated in Catholic churches in France with the blessing and lighting of candles.  Today, we visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Victories (Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires) during a solemn candlelight service.

Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires

As you can see in the photo above, the day was cold and cloudy.  So, that means an early Spring in Paris.  Very good news.