Clé France

It’s December, and before you know it, Santa Claus will be flying son char à travers les cieux (his sleigh across the skies). The tree is up, and the stockings are hung by the chimney with glee, and outside the snow… well, it’s currently very mild here.

I love December. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” is definitely my mantra. Et les chants de Noel (and Christmas songs?)? I love them. Sometimes I even listen to them in July, but don’t worry. I do that privately so as not to annoy anyone else.

Lots of people claim to not like this festive music, but I won’t focus on these negative grinches at the moment. Throw on a Santa hat, and let’s be jolly.

“Jingle Bells” is an absolute classic, literally every single person can sing along. The song talks about the joy of riding in the a horse-drawn sleigh through the snow, and while I have my reservations about spending anything more than the necessary amount of time in the snow, I think I would give that a go given the chance.

“Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh…” You can certainly finish this verse and the chorus, but did you know there was more to the song?

There’s Miss Fanny Bright, an unfortunate slipping incident, and some dating advice...

Jingling Your Bells in French

Et la version française (and the French version?) ? Completely different. Rather than focusing on the winter transportation, the French praise the winter wind and wish people a Happy New Year. And like the English version, there’s a little story in there, too.

While the words are very different, l’air reste le même (the tune is the same).

Chantons (let’s sing!) :

Vive le vent, vive le vent,

Long live the wind, long live the wind,

Vive le vent d’hiver,

Long live the winter wind,

Qui s’en va sifflant, soufflant

Which goes whistling, blowing

Dans les grands sapins verts, oh !

In the big green pine trees, oh!

 

Vive le temps, vive le temps,

Long live the weather, long live the weather,

Vive le temps d’hiver,

Long live the winter weather,

Boules de neige et Jour de l’An

Snowballs and New Year’s Day

Et Bonne Année grand-mère !

And Happy New Year, Grandma!

 

Sur le long chemin

Along the path

Tout blanc de neige blanche

All white from the snow

Un vieux monsieur s’avanceAn old man comes closer

Avec sa canne dans la main

With his can in his hand.

Et tout là-haut le vent

And all above the wind

Qui siffle dans les branches

Which whistles in the branches

Lui souffle la romance

Blows on him the romance

Qu’il chantait petit enfant, oh !

He sang as a little child, oh!

 

Vive le vent, vive le vent,

Long live the wind, long live the wind,

Vive le vent d’hiver,

Long live the winter wind,

Qui s’en va sifflant, soufflant

Which goes whistling, blowing

Dans les grands sapins verts, oh !

In the big green pine trees, oh!

 

Vive le temps, vive le temps,

Long live the weather, long live the weather,

Vive le temps d’hiver,

Long live the winter weather,

Boules de neige et Jour de l’An

Snowballs and New Year’s Day

Et Bonne Année grand-mère !

And Happy New Year, Grandma!

 

Joyeux, joyeux Noël

Merry, Merry Christmas

Aux mille bougies

To the thousand candles

Qu’enchantent vers le ciel

Which light up toward Heaven

 

Les cloches de la nuit.

The night’s bells

Vive le vent, vive le vent

Long live the wind, long live the wind

Vive le vent d’hiver

Long live the winter wind

Qui rapporte aux vieux enfants

Which brings to old kids

Leurs souvenirs d’hier, oh !

Their memories of yesterday, oh!

 

Et le vieux monsieur

And the old man

Descend vers le village

Goes down toward the village

C’est l’heure où tout est sage

It’s the time when everyone is good

Et l’ombre danse au coin du feu.

And the shadow dances near the fire

 

Mais dans chaque maison

But in each house

Il flotte un air de fête

There’s a festive air

Partout la table est prête

Everywhere the table is ready

Et l’on entend la même chanson, oh !

And you hear the same song, oh!

 

Vive le vent, vive le vent,

Long live the wind, long live the wind,

Vive le vent d’hiver,

Long live the winter wind,

Qui s’en va sifflant, soufflant

Which goes whistling, blowing

Dans les grands sapins verts, oh !

In the big green pine trees, oh!

 

Vive le temps, vive le temps,

Long live the weather, long live the weather,

Vive le temps d’hiver,

Long live the winter weather,

Boules de neige et Jour de l’An

Snowballs and New Year’s Day

Et Bonne Année grand-mère !

And Happy New Year, Grandma!

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

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