Really interesting explanation Rosemary. While I understood most of the vocabulary I wasn’t familiar with the traditions associated with a French New Year. Je te souhaite une bonne annee!
First of all, bonne année to you and yours! I’ve just discovered your blog, so chock full of good stuff for the curious Francophile. Bravo!
I love how this post shares typical French New Year traditions but it also reinforces the fact that some things, like joy, health and realization of dreams and wishes, cuts across many cultures though expressed in different ways. Thanks for the article 🙂
Rosemary Kneipp
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Hello and bonne année to you and yours as well! Thank you for your comment. Some things are universal, aren’t they?
Pamela
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:57 pm
Rosemary
Merci, c’est tres interessant et utile.
Je vous souhaite bonne et heureuse annee et la santé surtout (parce que nous ne sommes plus si jeune, n’est-ce pas?) Et Jean Michel aussi.
J’espere que je n’ecris pas comme une vache espagnol. S’il vous plait, dites-moi si j’ai fait les erreurs graves.
Sante, joie et bonheur! Pamela
Rosemary Kneipp
January 3rd, 2014 at 6:12 pm
Merci, Pamela. Meilleurs voeux à vous aussi. Vous n’avez fait aucune erreur grave. Bravo! Juste quelques petites fautes que j’ai indiqué en majuscules ci-dessous.
Correction: Je vous souhaite UNE bonne et heureuse annee et la santé surtout (parce que nous ne sommes plus si jeuneS, n’est-ce pas?) Et Jean Michel aussi.
J’espere que je n’ecris pas comme une vache espagnol. S’il vous plait, dites-moi si j’ai fait Des erreurs graves.
Pamela
January 4th, 2014 at 12:32 am
Ah oui, Rosemary. Je les vois, merci mille fois. C’est tres utile, une bonne lecon pour moi. J’en ai oublie beaucoup. Il y a longtemps que j’apprend le francais. Amicalement, Pamela
Thank you for more useful cultural tidbits! As a non-believer whose birthday is a week before Christmas I have happily ditched cards and decorations at Christmas time in favour of more of a focus on New Year in the French way. Of course, I still ring my parents in Australia on Christmas Day, but since my mother’s birthday is a week after, we speak often during December and Christmas Day isn’t a real highlight.
Rosemary Kneipp
January 3rd, 2014 at 3:12 pm
Happy Birthday! I, too, find New Year much more meaningful and I love the galette des rois as well.
Bonne et heureuse année Rosemary, pour toi (may I?) et toute ta famille !
About the tradition of the younger calling the older (members of the family), it’s an “extension” of another French custom: When you meet somebody, it should always be the yougest who says “bonjour” first, it’s a way to show respect.
Being a “laïque” country, I guess, explains why New Year is more important than Christmas… Only the kids prefer Christmas because of the gifts they receive indeed….
I didn’t notice you mentioned ‘le réveillon” (New Year’s Eve)… Many people would say “nous avons passé le/nous avait fait/ réveillon en famille” for (“nous avons fêté la nouvelle année en famille”).
I hope 2014 will bring everybody here a lot of good things, life is so short… and thanks for your very nice blog.
Rosemary Kneipp
January 3rd, 2014 at 6:09 pm
Bonne et heureuse année à toi aussi Ago. Que tes voeux les plus chers se réalisent.
I didn’t realise that the age rule applied to “bonjour” as well! Thank you.
Also, it’s true that I didn’t mention le réveillon which is much more common. When I was a child, we never saw the New Year in but in those days, children went to bed earlier!
[…] this week’s Blogger Round-Up and as a follow-up to my last Friday’s French post, I thought I’d find three different posts about the galette des rois or the French cake of […]
butcherbird
January 20th, 2014 at 3:57 am
Did you know that Australia has 92 native mistletoe species … so that ‘other’ Jane tells me!
great article and interesting explanations as to when to us which words! Living in France I too love the Galette des Rois tradition! it signifies the New Year here in France
Rosemary Kneipp
January 8th, 2016 at 9:47 pm
Thanks, Caro. We’re having our first galette des rois tomorrow, with our “oldest” friends in our new abode.
This is a really interesting explanation. Thank you. It will certainly help when I send my Christmas and New Year cards to my French friends this coming Christmas.
Rosemary Kneipp
January 8th, 2016 at 9:48 pm
You can still send them for the rest of the month!
This was so interesting and informative! I didn’t know that unspoken rule about the younger family members calling the older. Always love learning more about French culture so thank you! Bonne année!
Rosemary Kneipp
January 8th, 2016 at 9:49 pm
Bonne année Sara! There are so many customs and practices that we’ll be learning them for the rest of our lives!
I love your Friday French posts Rosemary, they’re always so informative. I used to be surprised that my French hubby was more into calling family on new year’s day than at Christmas but soon learnt the cultural differences. Older members of his family still send those tiny plain cards but there are definitely less of them around now than when we first got together 20 years ago. Thanks for linking up to #AllAboutFrance
Rosemary Kneipp
January 13th, 2016 at 9:18 pm
I came across a handful of those little cards today. They somehow survived the move. Thanks for #AllAboutFrance – I’m always happy to participate.
Geraldine
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:02 pm
An English friend asked me why it is ‘bonne année and not ‘bon année which would follow the rule that you can’t use a vowel at the end of one word before a vowel at the beginning of the next.
Rosemary Kneipp
March 2nd, 2023 at 6:29 pm
Hi it’s bonne année simply because année is feminine.
Really interesting explanation Rosemary. While I understood most of the vocabulary I wasn’t familiar with the traditions associated with a French New Year. Je te souhaite une bonne annee!
Merci Jo! Une excellente année à toi aussi.
I just love learning about the differences around the world. Great article
Thank you. It’s interesting to see how so many of them link up.
First of all, bonne année to you and yours! I’ve just discovered your blog, so chock full of good stuff for the curious Francophile. Bravo!
I love how this post shares typical French New Year traditions but it also reinforces the fact that some things, like joy, health and realization of dreams and wishes, cuts across many cultures though expressed in different ways. Thanks for the article 🙂
Hello and bonne année to you and yours as well! Thank you for your comment. Some things are universal, aren’t they?
Rosemary
Merci, c’est tres interessant et utile.
Je vous souhaite bonne et heureuse annee et la santé surtout (parce que nous ne sommes plus si jeune, n’est-ce pas?) Et Jean Michel aussi.
J’espere que je n’ecris pas comme une vache espagnol. S’il vous plait, dites-moi si j’ai fait les erreurs graves.
Sante, joie et bonheur! Pamela
Merci, Pamela. Meilleurs voeux à vous aussi. Vous n’avez fait aucune erreur grave. Bravo! Juste quelques petites fautes que j’ai indiqué en majuscules ci-dessous.
Correction: Je vous souhaite UNE bonne et heureuse annee et la santé surtout (parce que nous ne sommes plus si jeuneS, n’est-ce pas?) Et Jean Michel aussi.
J’espere que je n’ecris pas comme une vache espagnol. S’il vous plait, dites-moi si j’ai fait Des erreurs graves.
Ah oui, Rosemary. Je les vois, merci mille fois. C’est tres utile, une bonne lecon pour moi. J’en ai oublie beaucoup. Il y a longtemps que j’apprend le francais. Amicalement, Pamela
Thank you for more useful cultural tidbits! As a non-believer whose birthday is a week before Christmas I have happily ditched cards and decorations at Christmas time in favour of more of a focus on New Year in the French way. Of course, I still ring my parents in Australia on Christmas Day, but since my mother’s birthday is a week after, we speak often during December and Christmas Day isn’t a real highlight.
Happy Birthday! I, too, find New Year much more meaningful and I love the galette des rois as well.
Bonne et heureuse année Rosemary, pour toi (may I?) et toute ta famille !
About the tradition of the younger calling the older (members of the family), it’s an “extension” of another French custom: When you meet somebody, it should always be the yougest who says “bonjour” first, it’s a way to show respect.
Being a “laïque” country, I guess, explains why New Year is more important than Christmas… Only the kids prefer Christmas because of the gifts they receive indeed….
I didn’t notice you mentioned ‘le réveillon” (New Year’s Eve)… Many people would say “nous avons passé le/nous avait fait/ réveillon en famille” for (“nous avons fêté la nouvelle année en famille”).
I hope 2014 will bring everybody here a lot of good things, life is so short… and thanks for your very nice blog.
Bonne et heureuse année à toi aussi Ago. Que tes voeux les plus chers se réalisent.
I didn’t realise that the age rule applied to “bonjour” as well! Thank you.
Also, it’s true that I didn’t mention le réveillon which is much more common. When I was a child, we never saw the New Year in but in those days, children went to bed earlier!
[…] this week’s Blogger Round-Up and as a follow-up to my last Friday’s French post, I thought I’d find three different posts about the galette des rois or the French cake of […]
Did you know that Australia has 92 native mistletoe species … so that ‘other’ Jane tells me!
That’s not bad!
Bonne année and bonne santé. We still get a tiny new year greetings card from our elderly French neighbour, and our accountant!
Bonne année bonne santé, Jacqui. They probably still have a massive stock from yaars ago!
great article and interesting explanations as to when to us which words! Living in France I too love the Galette des Rois tradition! it signifies the New Year here in France
Thanks, Caro. We’re having our first galette des rois tomorrow, with our “oldest” friends in our new abode.
This is a really interesting explanation. Thank you. It will certainly help when I send my Christmas and New Year cards to my French friends this coming Christmas.
You can still send them for the rest of the month!
This was so interesting and informative! I didn’t know that unspoken rule about the younger family members calling the older. Always love learning more about French culture so thank you! Bonne année!
Bonne année Sara! There are so many customs and practices that we’ll be learning them for the rest of our lives!
Very interesting! Thank you for clarification!#allaboutfrance
You’re very welcome and bonne année!
I love your Friday French posts Rosemary, they’re always so informative. I used to be surprised that my French hubby was more into calling family on new year’s day than at Christmas but soon learnt the cultural differences. Older members of his family still send those tiny plain cards but there are definitely less of them around now than when we first got together 20 years ago. Thanks for linking up to #AllAboutFrance
I came across a handful of those little cards today. They somehow survived the move. Thanks for #AllAboutFrance – I’m always happy to participate.
An English friend asked me why it is ‘bonne année and not ‘bon année which would follow the rule that you can’t use a vowel at the end of one word before a vowel at the beginning of the next.
Hi it’s bonne année simply because année is feminine.