Our Christmas post series is coming to an end with today’s last post. Hey, you don’t have to be sad because we will be continuing our blog posts with the adventures of the year 2019. Today I am introducing Brieanne. She is content writing Francophile from Hampshire, UK who now lives in France. She enjoys writing about her life in France, productivity hacks and travel – so if you like reading about it then head to her blog Brie-Anne
Enjoy Christmas in Montpellier by Brie-Anne
The South of France at Christmas: Mild weather, great scenery and plenty of activities. Montpellier, a small city in the South of France, and the city I’ve been lucky enough to call my home for the last year come alive at Christmas time and here’s why…
France unlike England and the US has some very different Christmas traditions. The main one being they eat Christmas dinner/the most important meal of Christmas “Le Reveillon” either on Christmas eve or the early hours of Christmas morning.
Traditional Christmas Meal
- Champagne
- Oysters
- Caviar
- Smoked Salmon
- Lobster
- Snails
- Cheese
- Duck, Goose, Turkey and
- Green beans
Montpellier, although a very Mediterranean French city, is no different. They follow this tradition throughout the city and you’ll notice most of the food stalls at the Christmas market will sell these tasty French delicacies.
During the festive period, Montpellier has many events. The main is, of course, the Christmas markets, however, another event that takes place in Montpellier over Christmas is the annual “Coeur de Ville en lumières” (Heart of City in lights). This 3-day event is a magical light show across the whole city center where they project incredible moving artwork, by French artists, onto the most recognizable and iconic sites across the town. It’s a remarkable display, which they hold on the first weekend of December to open up the cities Christmas festivities.
The previously mentioned Christmas markets “Les Hivernales” are the not to miss Christmas event in Montpellier. They are held in the center of the city, the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, which becomes a cultural hub of live music, Gift stalls, French Christmas foods and, of course, locally sourced wine.