The Season of Remembrance and Cheer
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We’re a bit late posting this article, intended to be published last week, in November, désolé, it’s been a busy autumn here at my-french-house, particularly with American buyers. In this blog, Beth shares this fairly sombre time of the year, November, the month when people in France are granted a couple of days off to stop and remember lost relatives and loved ones, as well as the end of “La Grande Guerre”. Despite this, autumn is a bright and colourful season, and it is also a time to prepare for the festive season while keeping warm with outdoor activities and seasonal food and dishes.
La Toussaint
The first day of November here in France is La Toussaint (All Saints’ Day). This ancient Catholic festival used to be celebrated over two days. La Toussaint honoured saints and public figures, and on the second, La Commémoration des fidèles défunts (All Soul’s Day) paid tribute to deceased friends and family members. Today, the commemorations are combined and have become a public holiday in France.
In our rural nook, families gather together for La Toussaint. They’ll visit the graves of loved ones, and many will attend a church service and light a candle of remembrance. It’s a poignant time when sad moments are mixed with joy as folks celebrate relatives past and present.
If you’ve visited France towards the end of October, you probably noticed masses of colourful chrysanthemums. They’re on sale everywhere. These plants are commonly used to lay at graves on La Toussaint and are a fitting choice because the long flowering plant signifies love and longevity. The plant’s use actually relates to another significant historical moment, which takes place on the 11th of this month.
On the first anniversary following the end of the First World War, the French Government asked citizens to place flowers on graves to commemorate deceased soldiers. The chrysanthemum was the most commonly available and became the flowering plant of choice.
Armistice Day
It was Frenchman Marechal Ferdinand Foch, born in Tarbes, who commanded the Allied forces during the closing months of World War I. His army’s resolute actions against an exhausted German force caused the Allied victory. Germany was defeated and forced to ask for an armistice; the conditions were dictated by Marshal Foch in the name of the Allies on November 11th, 1918, at Rethondes.
Many countries observing Armistice Day do so with processions and services honouring the dead. As a symbol of solidarity, a red poppy is worn in Britain. In France it’s a bleuet de France, cornflower. Remembrance services are held throughout the country. In Paris, the President leads the ceremony, laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe at 11 am. At this time, two consecutive minutes of silence are observed.
Each year, we join others in our community for a remembrance service beside the village war memorial. Organised by our mayor and local dignitaries, it’s a simple, profoundly moving ceremony. The service ends with refreshments in our Mairie, where fond memories of local heroes and snippets of local history are shared. Chat inevitably extends to current activities. We’ll discuss harvests, catch up on family news, and plans for forthcoming events.
Autumn Celebrations
Now that the clocks have changed, shorter days often begin with misty mornings and chilly nights. Farm work alters, and gone are those summer al fresco meals enjoyed in the garden. Actually, after a long, hot summer, I welcome this change.
Nippy evenings see us relaxing in front of the cosy log fire, vying for space with our snoozy cats and dogs. Food choices are altering, too. Lots of nourishing soups are being made. Recipes and veggie excesses are swapped and shared among friends, my most recent being a batch of butternut squash soup, which dealt with a glut of vegetables a treat. Another seasonal favourite is raclette, a heavenly cheese melted and served warm at the table.
Raclette originated in Switzerland, dating back to the thirteenth century, but this cheesy delight is adored in France, particularly when entertaining. The cheeses vary, but the French raclette produced in Savoie and Franche-Comté are favourites. Most of our French friends have a raclette machine with small pots to hold the melting cheese and a griddle for other foods. Typical accompaniments include boiled potatoes, meats and peppers. As always, the choice of wine is key. A Pinot Noir for red lovers or a Jura wine is favoured, or at a stretch, perhaps a blonde beer.
This is also the season for mushroom foraging, a passion here, and it’s when another popular foodstuff becomes available. Chestnuts. Roast them, grind them into flour, use them in a conserve or eat them roasted and covered in delicious sticky goo, they’re devoured. We even have fêtes to commemorate this venerable fruit. And, aside from having that yummy, nutty flavour, they’re a great source of vitamins and minerals.
And, of course, at the end of November, we see the brilliant French celebration of the vin rouge, Beaujolais Nouveau. The new season’s wine arrives each year on the third Thursday of November. Festivities start at midnight on Wednesday – cafés, bars, and restaurants all over France stock the wine, which is also available in stores.
So, whilst November begins with solemnity and observances, it’s also a time for joyful reminiscences at home with family and enjoying the fruits of autumn around the table and at local events. They’re the stuff of life for hard-working rural communities like ours and a great opportunity for people to gather and start thinking about Christmas and that most important feast: Le Réveillon!
For more real-life stories in rural France, check out Beth’s website; she’s got a brand new book out soon, which could make the perfect Christmas gift for someone who loves southwest France. As for us, we can’t wait for our first raclette of the year!
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