New Year's Day (Jour de l'an) is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

It is a
public holiday in France. Many people spend the day quietly in the company of friends or
family.

Many people in France start New Year's Day at midnight while celebrating with friends
or family members. Public and private fireworks displays are common. Many people
drink champagne, sparkling white wine or hot wine (vin chaud). People may also sing
songs such as The song of a New Year (Chanson du nouvel An) and an adaptation of the
Scottish Auld Lang Syne (Choral des Adieux) written by Robert Burns to mark the start
of the New Year at midnight. People generally spend the rest of the day quietly.

There is a special tradition in Viella, a village in the Hautes-Pyrénées region close to the
Spanish border. A church service is held late in the evening on New Year's Eve.
Afterwards, people walk to the vineyards in a torchlight procession. The grape harvest
begins at midnight. A strong, sweet wine is made from the grapes that have matured
naturally on the vines. Bottles of this wine are specially marked to show that the grapes
were harvested on January 1.

Public Life
Public life is generally quiet in France on January 1. Post offices, banks, stores and other
businesses are closed. Outside of tourist areas, restaurants and cafes may be closed.
However, some stores in Paris, as well as at airports and railway stations and along major
highways, may be open. Public transport service schedules vary depending on where one
lives and intends to travel.

Background
Midwinter celebrations have been held in the area that is now France for thousands of
years. These have evolved into the modern Advent, Christmas, St Stephen's Day, New
Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Epiphany celebrations. New Year's Day is celebrated in
other countries including inAustralia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom and the United States.

Symbols
Certain types of cake and tart are associated with New Year's Day and the first half of
January. These include heart shaped cakes (le coeur de l' an) and log shaped 'cakes' made
of ice cream (gateau glacé). These cakes are often decorated with symbols of the winter
season and good luck charms for the coming year, such as birds, evergreen trees, bells,
golden balls and chocolate coins.
King's cake (la galette des rois) consists of a puff pastry case filled with frangipane.
Frangipane is made with eggs, sugar, butter and ground almonds. The cakes are sold with
a paper crown on top. A dried bean, small coin or ceramic figure is hidden in the filling.
The person who finds the bean, coin or figure in their portion is 'king' for the day and
wears the paper crown.

The French typically celebrate New Year's with a feast and a champagne toast, marking
the first moments of New Year's Day with kisses under the mistletoe, which most other
cultures associate with Christmas celebrations. The French also consider the day's
weather as a forecast for the upcoming year's harvest, taking into account aspects like
wind direction to predict the fruitfulness of crops and fishing.
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CHRISTMAS

The main Christmas meal, called Réveillon, is eaten on Christmas Eve/early Christmas morning after
people have returned from the midnight Church Service. Dishes might include roast turkey with
chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses.

FOOD

Thirteen desserts (Provence):[23] The thirteen desserts are the traditional Christmas dessert in
the French region of Provence. TheChristmas supper ends with 13 dessert items, representing Jesus
Christ and the 12 apostles. The desserts are traditionally set out Christmas Eve and remain on the table
three days until
December 2