C’est Noel!

Well, not quite. Ce n’est pas encore Noel. But it will be soon enough. And it’s the perfect time to enjoy some Christmas music… en français.

Last week, we shared with you le chanson “Au Royaume du Bonhomme Hiver” (Walking in a Winter Wonderland).

There’s another holiday classic is often played on French airwaves during this season: “C’est Noel” (It’s Christmas). This is a French original and doesn’t have an equivalent in English. Written in 1956 by famous composer Henri Betti for the film Honoré de Marseille, it was performed by the actor and singer Fernandel. Supposedly, Betti wrote the song for the first Christmas he celebrated with his daughter.

The song switches between a modern Christmas celebration and a retelling of the nativity.

Here are the lyrics:

Un beau soir d’hiver près d’un grand sapin, 

Naquit dans une humble étable, 

L’enfant Jésus cet enfant divin, 

Et depuis pour les bambins. 

C’est Noel, sous un ciel de lumière. 

Les enfants, sagement à genou, 

Ce soir là, font tout bas leur prière. 

Doux Jésus, entends tu? Réponds nous!

Et Jésus descendu sur la terre 

Plein d’amour en ce jour solennel 

Fait surgir de partout 

A plaisir des joujoux 

Ce mystère c’est Noel

Cette belle nuit que le monde attend 

Nous rappelle notre enfance 

Par des souvenirs de Noel d’antan 

Et depuis cet heureux temps 

C’est Noel sous un ciel d’espérance 

Les bergers messagers du seigneur 

Vont chantant célébrant la naissance 

De celui qui conduit au bonheur

Vocabulary:

les bambins–toddlers/little kids

les bergers–the shepherds

conduire (conduit)–to drive/to lead

d’espérance–of hope

notre enfance–our childhood

une humble étable–a humble stable

des joujoux–toys (informal)

ce jour solennel–this solemn day

la naissance–the birth

sagement–wisely

sapin–fir tree (referring to a Christmas tree).

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

My Beautiful Fir Tree – O Christmas Tree In French

L’esprit des fêtes (the holiday spirit) is stronger than ever with Noël just around the corner. This festive time of the year is the perfect moment to add un chant de Noël français (a French Christmas carol) to your holiday playlist!

Les chants de Noël are a big part of the ambiance of the holiday season.

Les chansons (the songs) complete the scene of les chausettes de Noël (Christmas stockings) resting above la cheminée (the fireplace) with a pile of cadeaux (gifts, presents) waiting under the wonderful sapin de Noël (Christmas tree).

Le sapin de Noël is lucky enough to have its own chant de Noël:

Mon beau sapin - O Christmas Tree (literally: My Beautiful Fir Tree)

La chanson, like le calendrier d’Avent, is a holiday tradition that came from Germany. Mon beau sapin was originally called O Tannenbaum en allemand (in German) and translates to O Fir Tree. Ses origines (its origins) go back as far as 1550, but it’s the more modern version written by Ernst Anshütz in 1824 that became known all over the world.

Interestingly, la chanson did not specifically refer to Noël at first, but slowly became associated with the holiday with the rise in popularity of les sapins de Noël. By the 20th century it was a standard chant de Noël like Au Royaume du Bonhomme Hiver and was translated into many languages, including anglais et français (English and French).

In between opening presents and walks around les marchés de Noël, take a moment to learn ce chant de Noël français!

Voici Mon beau sapin avec les paroles et une traduction : 

Mon beau sapin, roi des forêts

Que j’aime ta verdure

Quand par l’hiver, bois et guérets

Sont dépouillés de leurs attraits

Mon beau sapin, roi des forêts

Tu gardes ta parure

My beautiful fir tree, king of the forests

How I love your greenness

When in winter, woods and fallow lands

Are stripped of their charm

My beautiful fir tree, king of the forests

You keep your decorations

Toi que Noël planta chez nous

Au saint Anniversaire

Joli sapin, comme ils sont doux,

Et tes bonbons, et tes joujoux

Toi que Noël planta chez nous

Tu répands la lumière.

You who put Christmas in our home

The holy birthday

Lovely pine, how pleasant they are

And your sweets, and your toys

You who put Christmas in our home

You spread the light.

Mon beau sapin, tes verts sommets

Et leur fidèle ombrage

De la foi qui ne ment jamais

De la constance et de la paix.

Mon beau sapin tes verts sommets

M’offrent la douce image.

And their faithful shade

Faith that never lies

Loyalty and peace

My beautiful fir tree, your green peaks

Give me that pleasant image.

Wishing You a Merry Christmas.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

In The Kingdom Of The Winter Snowman

La période de Noel est ici (Christmas time is here) ! Every time I leave mon appartement (my apartment) I can hear les chants de Noel (Christmas carols) as I make my way to le marché de Noel to drink du vin chaud. While listening to la musique, I was surprised that many of les chansons (the songs) that I grew up with in English have French versions as well!

Image is “Snowman” by Toshiyuki Imai on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

English and French versions

Hearing a song you know par coeur (by heart) in another language can be a strange experience. It’s easy to hum along, but not knowing any of les paroles (the lyrics) can be frustrating.

L’autre jour (the other day), I heard a very familiar song that I could not chanter (sing): Au Royaume du Bonhomme Hiver.

I couldn’t chanter because I only know la chanson in English: Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

After humming along and doing my best to listen to les paroles, I knew I would have to learn la chanson française.

Looking up les paroles taught me du nouveau vocabulaire (some new vocabulary) like le traîneau et le foulard (the sleigh and the scarf). It also taught me that la chanson is very different in french.

Most importantly, I could chanter the next time I heard la chanson!

Voici les paroles avec la traduction anglaise :

Au Royaume du Bonhomme Hiver / Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

Écoutez les clochettes

Du joyeux temps des fêtes

Annonçant la joie

De chaque cœur qui bat

Au royaume du bonhomme hiver.

Listen to the bells

Of the joyful holiday times

Announcing the joy

Of each beating heart

In the kingdom of the winter snowman.

Sous la neige qui tombe

Le traîneau vagabonde

Semant tout autour

Une chanson d’amour

Au royaume du bonhomme hiver.

Under the falling snow

The sleigh wanders

Spreading all around

A love song

In the kingdom of the winter snowman.

Le voilà qui sourit sur la place

Son chapeau, sa canne et son foulard

Il semble nous dire d’un ton bonasse

Ne voyez-vous donc pas qu’il est tard ?

There he is smiling in the plaza

His hat, his cane, and his scarf

Seemingly telling us in a soft tone

Don’t you see that it’s late?

Il dit vrai tout de même

Près du feu, je t’emmène

Allons nous chauffer dans l’intimité

Au royaume du bonhomme hiver.

He speaks the truth anyway

Next to the fire, I’m taking you

Let’s go warm up in privacy

In the kingdom of the winter snowman.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

A Christmas Carol En Version Française

There are many famous stories about la période des fêtes (the holiday season). My personal favorite is Un chant de Noël (A Christmas Carol) by Charles Dickens. Although originally in English, Un chant de Noël can help your French!

You will know how it can be useful to watch your favorite TV shows and movies either with les sous-titres français or doublées en français (dubbed in French). While it’s preferable to watch a movie or a TV show en VOST, being familiar with the characters and the story in your first language can help you stay engaged in another language.

The same idea works with les livres (books)!

If you have a favorite book in English, you can usually find it en version française.

Dans l’esprit de Noël (in the Christmas spirit), one such example is Un chant de Noël, a story that has been retold many times and in many different styles. My first memory of the story is la version de Disney (the Disney version) where Balthazar Picsou (Scrooge McDuck) plays the role of Ebenezer Scrooge and Dingo (Goofy) is le fantôme de Jacob Marley (the ghost of Jacob Marley).

The novella is most commonly known as Un chant de Noël in French, but it was also published under the names of Cantique de Noël, Chanson de Noël, and Conte de Noël. No matter the version It’s easy to recognise le thème général (the overarching theme):

Scrooge déteste Noël

« Foutaises ! » 

Bob Cratchit, le pauve employée de Scrooge

Le fantôme de Marley visite Scrooge et lui dit qu’il va être hanté par trois esprits

L’esprit des Noëls passés

L’esprit du Noéls présent

L’esprit des Noëls à venir

Scrooge se reveille, il aime Noël et il veut changer sa vie

Scrooge hates Christmas

“Bah! Humbug!”

Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s poor employee

The ghost of Marley visits Scrooge and tells him that he will be haunted by three spirits

The Ghost of Christmas Past

The Ghost of Christmas Present

The Ghost of Christmas Future

Scrooge wakes up, he loves Christmas, and he wants to change his life

If you’re looking to practice your French during the holidays, try reading le grand classique (the great classic) in French.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

While Christmas Day may be winding down, the season isn’t really over until the New Year. Christmas has many traditions, and many of them are tied to food.

Everyone loves family meals consisting of a baked ham or turkey, savoury sides, and delicious desserts (miam ! yum!) – and we’re not even counting the sugar overdose from all those homemade cookies and fudge.

We have our traditional pies, and France, Quebec, and certain French colonies get to chow down an elaborate and historical dessert known as une buche de Noel. Called a Yule log in English, it’s simply a sponge cake rolled and filled with a chocolate buttercream and designed to resemble a log. Some cake makers will cut out branches to stick out of the log. Others will whip up meringue mushrooms, add fresh berries, make fake holly, or sprinkle powdered sugar on top to resemble snow. The cake as we know it today emerged during the 19th century, but the origins of the actual Yule log date back before the medieval era.

At this time, Gaelic Europeans and Celtic Brits believed trees held special powers and burning them to create les cendres (ashes) would increase the strength of this power. Before the winter solstice, people would search out a huge log, decorate it with holly and ivy, and burn it to celebrate days finally becoming longer. The log’s ashes would be collected and used in medicines. In addition to its healing benefits, the ashes also guarded against evil and accidents. It was also believed that spreading the ashes in les champs (the fields) would yield a nice harvest. Certaines personnes (some people) would keep charcoal or cinders from the original log because relighting them during a thunderstorm would protect your home and property from being struck by lightening.

When Christianity spread through Europe, this tradition still continued. The logs were brought in and burned in the hearth, the fireplace area. Onlookers would observe les flammes (flames) and make predictions about the upcoming year – important things like how many calves would be born that year and how many marriages would take place.

Au fil des années (over the years), heaths in houses were built smaller, and people weren’t bringing full-sized logs into their homes anymore. It’s impossible to pinpoint exactly when people stopped burning the Yule logs in their homes and created edible versions instead, but some research suggests that the cakes date back the 1600s judging from popular ingredients of the time. The traditional buche de Noel has meringue and marzipan decorations, and both of these were common treats at that time. Same goes for sponge cake –  it was mentioned as early as 1615 in Gervaise Markham’s “The English Huswife.”

Want to try one of these delicious, calorie-laden Christmas desserts? No problem. You can make it yourself by following one of the many recipes online, but make sure you have time and patience. Some of the recipes require more than 8 hours of your time!

Baking not up your alley? Just head on down to your local patisserie (bakery specialising in sweets) and order one. You’ll find more simple ones à prix abordable (at an affordable price) – about 20 euros – but you can easily drop more than 100 euros for a fancy one.

Bon appétit!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.