Despite the secularization of France that has existed since the Revolution, the entire country shuts down on Catholic holy days sprinkled throughout the year. Schools, banks, offices, stores...everyone has a holiday, no matter if they're pratiquant or not, including the approximately 5 million Muslims and 600,000 Jews in France.
Today is the Feast of the Assumption, the principal feast of the Virgin Mary, which celebrates her happy departure from this life and passage into Heaven. Like most Americans don't consider the religious origins of traditions like Valentine's Day and Halloween, I'm sure many French citizens are unaware of the origins of their days off.
Because everything...and I mean everything is closed on a holiday, there's not a lot to do outside of the home. Many families spend the day together, and I was fortunate to be invited to join Laurence and her family for lunch today. She came to fetch me in her car this morning, and we returned to her village of Loeuilly. Her parents joined us for an apéritif, and finally her brother and his family arrived. Valentin, who will be 5 in a few weeks, greeted me - a perfect stranger - with la bise, or a kiss on the cheek. Even his sister Justine, who's not even 2, raised her cheek to me for a kiss.
Monsieur et Madame François have a rather large garden, and most of our lunch came directly from there. Potatoes, carrots, peas, even the apples in the dessert were home grown. Only the turkey, mushrooms and baguettes came from the store. I came home with a bag full of apples I picked from the tree in Laurence's yard, I'm promised fresh honey from her father's bee hives next week.
1 comment:
I want that garden in my backyard!! Unfortunately, it is already filled with bamboo. And I'm lazy. :)
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