when is the crepe festival?

CANDLES. La Chandeleur, the traditional pancake festival, is still held on February 2. Find all the information and tips to prepare well for this hugely popular event in 2023, both young and old!

[Mis à jour le 20 janvier 2023 à 15h07] Candlemas will be celebrated on Thursday, February 2. Do you know what this Candlemas festival is all about? In Christian tradition, it marks the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. But its name, Chandeleur, comes from further back. It refers to the name “candela” in Latin and refers to the return of light. Indeed, pancakes, especially if they are good, represent the sun and longer days to come.

For gourmets, this is, above all, an opportunity to get together and cook delicious pancakes. You can make them sweet or salty, it doesn’t matter! If you’d like to celebrate Candlemas the way it is, here’s all the information, as well as some easy pancake recipes to make.

Christianity has adopted the date of February 2 since at least the fourth century, before the formalization of the event by Pope Gelasius. Today, Christians celebrate the presentation of Christ in the Temple, 40 days after Christmas, the day he appeared to the world. At the presentation of the son of Mary, Simeon would recognize the “divine nature” of Jesus. It is this sacred truth that will give Christians the meaning of the Candles, where the light brought to Earth will be celebrated. Believers would later develop the use of lighting candles. Hence the name Candlemas, which comes from the Latin word “Festa candelarum”, “candle festival”.“.

La Chandeleur owes its name to “Festa candelarum”: Latin for “festival of candles”. Believers would later develop the use of lighting candles or candles. This tradition is especially alive in churches: among Catholics, the priest can use this holiday to bless the candles of people who come to pray, bought in advance and to be used throughout the year. Devotees often take one home and display it in their windows on February 2. In the past, it was customary to remove Christmas items (saint, nativity scene, etc.) on the occasion of Sham.

Golden-fleshed and disk-shaped, Candlemas crepes look similar to Epiphany galette. It was said in the countryside that if it was not used for crepe de la Chandeleur, the flour of the year would be lost. Around the 5th century, peasants therefore used surplus flour obtained during planting to make pancakes, symbolizing future prosperity.

The origins of Candlemas remain controversial. In the Roman Empire, it was customary to celebrate the holiday in mid-February Lupercalia. This period, rich in unusual celebrations (such as Saturnalia in mid-December, which would give birth to Christmas), was celebrated in honor of the Lupercal cave at the foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome. Faunus, the divinity of flocks and fertility. However, February marked a significant period in an agriculturally based society first planting.

This period also corresponds to the ancient Irish Celtic cult in Northern EuropeImbolc. Villagers then held torchlight parades to celebrate the divinity of fertility. However, I am not sure that these pagan festivals directly created the festival as we know it. Christianity has adopted the date of February 2 since at least the fourth century, before the formalization of the event by Pope Gelasius. The rejoicings marking the presentation of Jesus in the temple forty days after Christmas Eve are mentioned in texts in the Middle East from the fourth century. Pope Gelasius would “formalize” the rite a little later and extend it to all of Christendom, which was not yet divided (Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant churches would arise much later). The holiday is also said to have been popularized by the Byzantine emperor Justinian.

While some insist on respecting the classic pancake recipe, others like to add a little fantasy to the tradition, opting for a regional or completely original version. And all items are allowed. Here’s an easy crepe recipe below first in the video, then you’ll find the classic crepe recipe below, followed by more original recipes, from crepe Suzette to apple crepe, Sabayon de Calavadosa with pancake cake, Breton recipe for Farz. An Austrian recipe for Buen or Kaiserschmarrn.

• Classic recipe (ingredients for 4 people) : 250 grams of flour, 0.5 liters of milk, 50 grams of melted butter, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 pinch of salt.
• Preparation : Put some first flour in a salad bowl. Add next sugar, eggs and melted butter. Then beat everything, pour a little milk: so you will get a liquid and smooth dough. It should be then let him rest keep the dough at room temperature for one to two hours. An extremely important stage that should not be avoided.
• To cook : After the preparation and waiting time, you can pour the dough into the heated pan. Don’t forget to oil the pan between each crepe using a paper towel. Without this, it will not be possible Blow it out as Candlemas tradition calls for. To make it float well, loosen it first with a spatula, then shake the pan to make sure the pancake doesn’t stick well. Next, a dry and firm strike of the wrist should give the expected result!
• Garnish : Depending on the taste, the accompaniment is different: sugar, chocolate, salted butter, honey, caramel, jam, chestnut cream, lemon, fruit… In short, pancake fillings are endless. There are also regional specialties: calvados and apples in Normandy, beer in dough in Alsace…

• The Crepe suzette A traditional crepe flambée recipe for purists. He mixes orange peel, oil, sugar cubes, orange juice with a cup of Grand Marnier. With the remaining Grand Marnier, it is traditional to burn the pancakes in front of the admiring guests. Discover the Grand Marnier crepe recipe or the simple crepe Suzette recipe.

• Brittany, the Farz Buen it’s a very thick pancake batter, it mixes like an omelette in the pan, lots of oil and sugar. Break the mixture into small golden and lightly fried pieces with a spatula. Decorate everything with jam or cocoa powder. Recipe.
• Austrian specialty, kaiserschmarrn A favorite pancake recipe of Francois-Joseph II and Empress Sissi, a real treat for those who usually miss pancakes! This is a pancake batter lightened with whipped egg whites, cut into large irregular pieces, very easy to make. Garnished with rum-soaked raisins or not, it can be accompanied by plum compote or prunes. Discover the recipe.

• the crepe cake it is the result of dozens of pancakes stacked on several floors. Then it’s up to you to garnish it with your desired ingredients. Pancake cake can be dark chocolate, nutella, lemon cream, strawberry coulis, caramel and even a salty version, with hard boiled eggs and tuna, salmon or crab/avocado! Discover all the variations of the pancake cake recipe.

• Looking for more authentic pancakes? Sweet Pancake Sushi, Rainbow Pancakes, Mini Banana Pancakes, Gluten Free Lace Pancakes, Capella or Pancake Lollipops, Lime Coconut Pancakes, Samosa Pancakes, Intense Chocolate Pancakes, Cone Pancakes, Pancake Rose Bouquet… Our 47 most original pancake recipes.

At the beginning of the 21st century, most French people continued these gastronomic rites, with regional characteristics that became more apparent in recent decades: calvados and apples in Normandy, beer in pastry in Alsace and the North, wheat flour in Brittany, etc. Find our top-up offers below:

The ingredients vary depending on the flavor: banana and chocolate, salted butter, orange blossom, honey, apple and caramel, chestnut cream, apple and Val de Rance cider, jam, beer, lemon, fruit, maple syrup, toffee or just a little sugar .

La Chandeleur is not only celebrated in France. This pancake festival is celebrated in Switzerland, Luxembourg and Mexico, where it is called “Día de la candelaria”. Mexicans gather around tamales, which are pancakes with South American sauce. The holiday is similar to the holiday of the magicians, because in Mexico during Candlemas, a king cake is eaten, in which a bean representing the child Jesus is hidden. Whoever pulls the beans is responsible for making the tamales. This practice was exported by settled Mexican communities around the world. It is part of France’s intangible cultural heritage.

Pancakes are not the only star of Candlemas in Luxembourg. As expected by schoolchildren in France, Candlemas coincides somewhat with Halloween in the country. Children called Liichetebengelcher, usually armed with colorful lanterns made in class, roam the streets in search of a few coins or sweets. In the US and Canada, Candlemas has given way to Groundhog Day, which involves patiently waiting for him to emerge from his den. As a forecast, depending on the movement of the animal, we can know that the winter will be long.