Christmas in Provence - Santons and the 13 desserts

Christmas in Provence is a special time.  The streets light up, the villages are decorated, Christmas markets are everywhere and the traditional Provençal crèche are created.  In the weeks before Christmas, Sophia and I visited several markets and we enjoyed the decorations everywhere we went.  We decided to go to Aix-en-Provence to check out the festivities and we were highly rewarded with lights, rides, and crowds.

Marché de Noël - Aix-En-Provence

Père Noël et ses lutins

A little bit of jazz!

Marché de Noël - Montfuron

 One of the Marché de Noël that we went to was in Montfuron, a nearby village up in the mountains.  It was drizzling out and it was a bit cold but people still came out to do a little shopping.  Students from the elementary school sang Christmas songs and some of Santa's helpers did a dance routine.  We bought some earrings, took a look at the crèche in the church and took a walk to the highest part of the village to see the views.  

Le Moulin - Montfuron

Montfuron in the rain

The crèche, a manger scene, is a big part of Christmas here in Provence.  There are crèche in churches, in the airport, in stores and in peoples' homes. Some of them are small and some of them are grandiose.  









In Provence, a traditional crèche has the manger scene as  well as santons representing almost every possible profession of a village circa 1850.  The santon or "little saint" can be made of painted clay or more like a doll with cloth clothing.   There was a santon market in Aix-en-Provence and we were amazed at all the different characters and decorations one can purchase to decorate the crèche.

We visited the crèche in Montfuron and when I was telling someone how beautiful it was the told me I HAD to go to the village of Banon to see the crèche there. 

Crèche scene Montfuron

Here they are playing Pétanque! - Montfuron

Manger Scene - Montfuron

The day after Christmas we took a ride to Banon.  Banon is famous for its goat cheese and the Bleuet book store.  It seems it is also famous for its huge crèche.  The church was crowded and it took at least 20 minutes to make the full circle.  There is so much to look at; different vignettes, moving parts, lights and all the different characters.  I overheard someone saying that it is different every year. 

The moulin on the hill - Banon

 taking a stroll - Banon

 

I still can't believe the details that they have recreated in the olive oil mill!

 The fisherman - Banon

 The washerwomen - Banon

The Manger - Banon

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Another special custom that is celebrated in some families here in Provence is the thirteen desserts - lei tretze dessèrts.  The desserts are served after the "grand souper" - big dinner of Christmas eve. The number thirteen is significant because it represents Jesus and the twelve apostles.  There is not one specific list of thirteen desserts but rather a list of foods that are traditionally served.  The first four items, usually raisins, walnuts, figs, almonds, dates or prunes, represent four monastic orders: Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinian and Carmelites.  You can then choose fresh fruits: apples, pears, grapes, oranges or mandarins. Calissons, candied fruit and nougat, all regional specialties are often part of the thirteen desserts. There is usually a bread called pompe de Noël made with olive oil that is broken instead of being sliced. Sometimes you might find the traditional yule log or spiced bread at the table as well.   I have never had the opportunity to attend a meal with the thirteen desserts but I love the idea.  

Right before Christmas I was at a local market and the vendor was selling all the makings of the thirteen desserts.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas!
Many wishes for a healthy and wonderful New Year!
BONNE ANNÉE!!!

Prehistoric Paintings - Grotte de Chauvet - Discovering l'Ardèche

La Grotte Chauvet - Chauvet Cave was named after the guy that found a cave that was full of prehistoric paintings.  Some of you might be familiar with the Lascaux which were discovered in 1940 in the south western region of France.  The Lascaux caves have drawings that are about 17,300 years old.  The Chauvet Cave was discovered in 1994 and the paintings are around 30,000-32,000 years old.  Visitors do not visit the actual caves, a reproduction cave was constructed and the paintings were authentically reproduced.  It seems funny to visit fake paintings but because of this the Chauvet paintings will be preserved.

picture from the museum depicting tools and technique

 We learned that there were three techniques used in the cave.  The first was the use of colored pigment.  They used it to make palm drawings or hand outlines.  The owl is an example of the second technique, scraping the wall and removing a layer of dirt/rock to reveal another layer of color.  The last technique was the use of charcoal to draw on a cleaned off surface of the cave wall.  Afterwards, we watched a short movie about the people that might have created the painting in the cave and we went through the self-guided museum which had interactive exhibits for all ages.  

Pictures taken from the museum - Sophia using interactive drawing board

View from the waiting "holding tank" - a few minutes before our tour

Lunch was next, boy were we hungry!  We stopped for lunch in Saint-Remèze at Auberge Chez Laurette.  Our lunch was delicious and the company, my husband's sister and cousins, was perfect!!

My husband's cousins, Danielle and Yves, had invited all of us to come visit them in Largentière, a small village in the heart of the Ardèche region.  On the way to their home, we drove through the Gorges de l'Ardèche.  The views were spectacular and we were able to get a beautiful view of the  Pont d'Arc in the afternoon light.

We also stopped to see some Dolmens from the neolithic era near Labeaume.  Dolmens are tombs with a large flat stone placed on upright ones forming a burial mound.  The earth that covered the tombs have since washed away leaving the stone formations. They are about 4000 years old!  Sophia and Yves climbed down to see them and take some pictures.

On Sunday morning we took a ride to Vals-les-Bains, a natural spring town.  This town reminded me so much of Saratoga Springs. There was a casino, many springs with different names, a lovely park, smelly water, and hotels where you could get a "cure"(take a bath).  They say that the waters of Vals-les-Bains can help to treat diabetes, liver problems and obesity.  

This geyser erupts every six hours.

It wasn't erupting while we were in the park but there was a picture of the geyser on a nearby sign!  Much to Sophia's delight, there was a chocolate exposition in the Casino.  The smells and samples were incredible.  In one room there was a presentation of the chocolate sculptures made by students in a culinary program. They were so colorful and interesting to look at - All edible!

Our next stop was the village of the French singer/songwriter, Jean Ferrat.  We stopped to see his tomb and the village of Antraigue-sur-Volane where he lived.  

We returned to Largentière for lunch at, Restaurant le Loupiot, Yves and Danielle's restaurant that was closed for the day.  Some regular customers saw that the doors were open and they came in for a meal. Sophia was thrilled to serve the customers. She wants to come back and work with them in the summer when it is busy. 

It was sad to leave Largentière, I loved visiting with relatives but I knew that we had a few hours of driving ahead of us.  I hope we return soon.

On the way home we stopped at some Roman ruins in Alba-la-Romaine.  The site did not rebuild the ruins, rather they delineated the buildings and provided signs explaining the different parts of the ruins.  There was a great model that explained the placement of the temples and the forum.  

Théâtre Antique     Alba-la-Romaine 

Google Earth picture of the site Alba-la-Romaine

I just love the fact that in one weekend we visited prehistoric cave paintings, a contemporary musician's grave neolithic tombs and Roman ruins!