Since we are approaching the Christmas period, we decided that, for our ninth meeting, we would talk about how we perceive Christmas in our respective countries.
France
Christmas time is very important in France, it is anchored into the culture. We might not have as much snow as in Finland but if we’re lucky we can have some every now and again.
Weather will most probably let us down but at least we’ve got food to make it up for it.
A typical French Christmas menu would be:
- Foie gras (it can be eaten on different kinds of bread toasts, brioche bread), I really it.
- Smoked salmon
- Turkey roasted in the oven with a generous chestnut stuffing
- Fish
- Cheese platter
- Bûche de noël (or Christmas log). They are traditionally shaped to represent the real wood log placed in the fireplace on Christmas eve, bûche is often made of garnished swiss roll topped with buttercream or ganache and decorated with tiny figurines. (This is a go to for most families in France).
- Champagne and wine (all the way through dinner)
It depends on family but, we usually have a dinner on the 24th of December (in the evening) and one on the 25th (from 12:00 / 1:00pm).
Finland
Christmas is also a very important time in Finland. It’s usually very snowy and people start playing their favorite winter sports like skiing, skating… They also take their sled to ascend the hills with it (ohhhh that looks really nice).
In Finland, Christmas is usually spent with their closest family and it’s celebrated on the 24th of December. On the 25th, they usually get together one more time to eat the leftovers from the Christmas dinner. (It looks a lot like our Christmas in France).
On the 24th, they eat rice porridge as breakfast and they spend time together preparing Christmas food. They usually eat around 16:00 and 18:00 and once the dinner is over, it’s time to open the presents hidden under the Christmas tree.
Finnish Christmas foods:
- Rutabaga, Carrot, potato and liver casserole
- Rosolli, Salad with diced beets, carrots and pickles
- Mushroom salad
- Ham
- Smoked fish
- Pickled herrings
- Rice porridge
- Christmas pastries
I personally love Christmas time! It’s that time of the year that I really look forward to (I love everything about Christmas: the snow, the decorations, Christmas trees, Christmas movies and the vibe).
Therefore, I was really happy that we could talk about similarities and differences in our respective countries and cultures. It’s definitely something that we wouldn’t have been able to do in a regular course so I’m really thankful for this course (each one teach one).
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