Clé France

Everyone knows a few but each day has a Saint and some have more than one!

After our article on St Valentines Day we thought we would take a deeper look at Saints Days in France. St Valentines Day may be the best example of where commercialism takes over what were once serious religious traditions and turns them into money-spinning opportunities. The French practice of celebrating one's "saint's day" is no exception although it is becoming less common, as people have more choice in naming their children.

The Catholic church once dictated the country's customs and this is where the tradition originated, even so far as providing a catalogue of acceptable Christian names. Of course, this practice was not restricted to France, but was common in all catholic countries. However, France is one country where the celebration of one's saint's day still persists albeit it is in decline.

In the past a French child would be given the name of the saint on whose day their own birth fell. Of course, people want not only originality but choice and so it became more common for the saint's name to be given as a second or middle name. This meant that a child would have two special days to celebrate where previously it would have been only one. 

Over the years, the tradition has evolved in France, as in most other European Catholic countries, for people to have a "name day" as well as a birthday. So for example, if you were born on July 29th which is St. Marthe's Day, but your parents hated the name Marthe or Martha and preferred to call you Terese, you would still obviously celebrate your birthday on July 29th, but your "name day" would be on August 9th, which is St. Terese's Day.

Almost every day in the calendar has a saint's name assigned to it, some have more than one (January 6 having five), so parents with a child born on January 6th could not really complain about a lack of choice compared to other days! These "saint's days" are still celebrated but are usually more low key than actual birthdays.

It's not only individuals who celebrate a saint's day. Towns and villages usually have a dedicated saint and special events are held in commemoration each year, while certain professions are linked to a particular saint and those working in that industry may mark that day in some way. Quite often the Bar in a small village will be named after the saint adopted it "Bar Saint Medard" (June 8th is Saint Medard Day) and either on that day or the following weekend the village will hold an annual Fete with celebrations running 48 hrs over the weekend.

In essence nowadays, when people are generally less religious than before, the "name day" tradition is just a nice excuse to have another day for gifts and fun, and has no more relevance than that. In France, they are not usually big gifts, more flowers or chocolates as a token. So next time you are due to go on a property viewing trip to France, check with the Catholic Calendar and see whether your name coincides with a Saints' name day during your trip. It will be another chance to celebrate especially if you find your dream home as well!

Blog submitted by: David at Cle France.