The celebration of Christmas in modern France stretches for a whole month.
And ends the French Christmas month Pirom Durakov.
However, let's start in order!
The holidays begin on December 6, the day of St. Nicholas, whom the French call Christmas Dad or Pere Noel (from the Latin "birth").
It was on this day that the French Santa Claus - Per Noel, brings good and diligent children gifts and sweets.
According to legend Pere Noel travels by air in a sleigh with eight deer, whose names are: Dascher, Dancer, Prancer, Vicksen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blizen.
In wooden shoes and with a basket of gifts behind him, he enters the house through the chimney and gives children.
Gifts he puts in shoes, which children leave before the fireplace in advance.
But in France, Christmas Dad has a reverse character - Pere Fouettard.
This grandfather is by no means so kind and is called upon to punish disobedient children with rods.
Pera Noel's companion - Per Fouetar reminds Peru Noel how the child behaved during the year and what he deserves more - gifts or spanking.
By the way, in France, it is customary to put surprises under the Christmas tree or Christmas socks every night in December and January.
Parents even master a special holiday calendar with windows-cells.
Every morning the child opens another cell and finds in it a candy, a nutlet, a coin, an eraser, a hairpin or a movie ticket.
In some provinces, Per Noel brings small gifts on December 6 and returns again for Christmas with big ones.
Petit Noel - the child Jesus can also bring gifts.
And the celebration ends only on January 6 - the day of the King (or the day of Epiphany).
This period is the most joyful and enjoyable in the year for both adults and children.
The atmosphere of a holiday, warmth and kindness, as well as sincere hospitality, is in full swing.
In the cities organize numerous Christmas fairs, decorate streets, buildings, shops, restaurants.
In the squares in front of the cathedrals, daisies are built, where puppeteers with puppets depict the story of the birth of Christ.
From 1 to 6 January in France, "Feast of Fools" are held.
And by the way, here there is a certain connection with the New Year and the International Day of the Fool.!
After all, until 1582 in France (which at that time lived on the Julian calendar), the New Year was celebrated in the spring - from March 25 to April 1.
Then the authorities decided to introduce a new calendar - Gregorian, and the New Year holidays were postponed to the usual time for us - January 1.
However, thanks to underdeveloped communications, the news did not reach everyone, and many continued to ignorantly, or from stubbornness to celebrate as before.
Advanced citizens led the custom to mock the ignoramuses: the most popular joke was to unseen the paper fish to the back of the poor creature and tease him Poisson d 'Avril ("April fish").
Also there was a funny tradition (she is alive even now!) To send a simpleton somewhere with a meaningless commission.
Probably that's why the medieval festival Festus Fatuorum ("Feast of Fools"), which was a descendant of Saturnalia, can be considered a direct prototype of modern April 1.
They celebrated Festus Fatuorum mainly in France, and the main theme was the election of a joke daddy and mockery of church rituals.
Despite the opposition of the church, the festival lasted until the 16th century.
In the Middle Ages, the townspeople expressed their discontent with the church in this way: they played satirical scenes and tired carnival processions.
Karimov Askar. Feast of Fools
Often the festivities turned into riots or abounded with satirical hints of rulers and church leaders, which also encouraged the authorities from time to time to fight with them for the sake of law and order.
The Catholic church was dissatisfied with numerous elements of pagan traditions on holidays.
In this regard, at the turn of the XVII and XVIII centuries in France begins the struggle with people's celebrations.
Authorities issue decrees prohibiting the sale of alcohol on holidays and Sundays.
In the winter it was forbidden to sell alcohol after eight o'clock in the evening, in the summer - after ten.
And after the revolution, the day of January 1 was taken under suspicion: it was strictly forbidden to celebrate it as the beginning of a new year.
On this day on the mail even opened the letter and looked at their content.
The letters, in which the New Year greetings were, were destroyed.
And on January 6 - the day of the end of the Christmas season, on the last day of the holiday - the day of Epiphany (the Catholic Epiphany), one of the most moving holidays - Epiphanie - is celebrated when, according to the Gospel legend, the three eastern czar-magi brought presents to the newborn Christ .
And this day is marked by the "Feast of the Kings" (Fetes des Rois).
Jacob Jordaens. Bean King.
By tradition, it is customary to make donations and gather at a family table.
The celebration ends with the ceremony of cutting a special festive treat with an intriguing
