Christmas Traditions - French

Christmas in Western New York and Lancaster County are beautiful times of the year filled with honking horns, long lines, and general malcontent. Some days, I felt it was worse in Lancaster County area because of the tourists added to the mix. Nothing says simple like flying to Lancaster county to run the length of shopping centers on Route 30 to purchase that perfect gift made from local Amish families.

Yet, somehow, we find quiet in the hustle and bustle to remember why we celebrate Christmas. For many Catholic families, the day begins or ends with Christ's Mass (hence the term, Christmas). For Western New York, with its heavy Catholic under-layer, mass, nativity scenes, and other elements remain.

Our Nativity Scene

Today's traditionally heritage comes from France, which is actually more focused in Western New York than in Lancaster County. Part of the reason comes from the fact that Western New York was once a part of France.

The nativity (or crèche) is a part of many households and churches. The practice developed in the Middle Ages with the first live nativity attributed to Francis of Assisi in 1223. Once again, the practice comes from all over Europe with some countries developing lavish nativities. The term crèche, however, is French.

Other elements that come from France are Christmas carols - Un flambeau, Jeannette Isabelle, Les (Bring the Torch, Jeannette Isabelle) Anges dans nos campagnes (Angels We Have Heard on High), and Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)

Many of these traditions are American in the fact that we all utilize them regardless of our heritage. It is more common for ethnic minorities to hold onto their Christmas celebrations as a way to maintain their culture. For cultures such as the French, English and German, since those are the common heritage for a region, we see less in the way of specific elements and more as an origin of certain traditions.

Tomorrow, we'll focus on the last of the three major ethnic heritage of the two locations: English, though, we'll include all of the British Isles into the discussion.