If You Love Crêpes, You Need to Know This Pancake Tradition!
A Festival of Light, Faith, and Pancakes: How a Centuries-Old Celebration Became France’s Favorite Excuse to Eat Crêpes
Winter in France can feel endless.
After the warm glow of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations fade, what’s left?
January drags on, grey and damp, and February doesn’t promise much better.
The trees stand bare, the skies remain heavy, and unless you’re a fan of winter sales (or skiing, perhaps), there’s little to look forward to.
But—and here’s the bright spot—February does bring a few celebrations to lighten the gloom.
First, there’s Valentine’s Day (which I talked about in a previous Substack article), a warm reminder of love and connection in the middle of winter.
Then comes Mardi Gras, full of colour, indulgence, and festivity.
And finally, there’s Candlemas, or as we call it, la Chandeleur—a tiny flicker of festivity in the middle of the bleak season, and, let’s be honest, a fantastic excuse to eat crêpes.
And it’s precisely this celebration that we’ll be talking about now, as it’s the first one of the year after Epiphany.
A Festival of Light (and Pancakes)
La Chandeleur falls on the 2nd of February, exactly 40 days after Christmas, marking the official end of the Nativity cycle in the Catholic tradition.
At its heart, the celebration recalls the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem.
According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary and Joseph brought their newborn son to the Temple, where an elderly man named Simeon recognised him as the long-awaited Messiah.
He called Jesus a light for revelation to the Gentiles—which, if you think about it, ties in rather nicely with the theme of candles.
But, as with many Christian celebrations, there’s a deeper, older layer beneath it all.
Before Candlemas was about Jesus, it was about something else entirely.
Echoes of an Ancient Roman Festival
If you’d wandered the streets of ancient Rome in early February, you might have stumbled upon something quite different: the Lupercalia.
A festival dedicated to Faunus, the god of the forests and fertility, it was an event of wild rituals, animal sacrifices, and—believe it or not—young men running through the city, dressed in nothing but goatskin loincloths, whipping women with strips of leather.
Why? Because it was believed to promote fertility. (Honestly, the Romans had a unique way of doing things.)
One part of the Lupercalia involved lighting torches and candles to ward off evil spirits—hence the connection to light, purification, and, eventually, Candlemas.
But in 494 AD, Pope Gelasius I decided enough was enough.
He banned the Lupercalia and replaced it with a Christian celebration: Candlemas.
Instead of torches, there were now processions with blessed candles, a reminder that Christ was the light of the world.
The old pagan festival was gone, but its spirit lived on in a new form.
So, Where Do the Crêpes Come In?
Now, this is where things get interesting.
The connection between candles and pancakes isn’t exactly obvious at first glance, but there’s a reason behind it.
Traditionally, Candlemas also marked the time when winter sowing began.
Farmers would use up their excess flour by making crêpes, a simple yet symbolic gesture—round and golden, they resembled the sun, a promise that longer, warmer days were on their way.
Then, of course, came the superstitions.
One of the most well-known involved flipping the first crêpe while holding a gold coin in the other hand.
If you managed it without dropping the pancake, prosperity was supposedly guaranteed for the year. (Let’s just say I wouldn’t put my financial future in the hands of my pancake-flipping skills.)
Candlemas Today: A Celebration of Tradition
These days, la Chandeleur is less about candles and more about crêpes.
In homes across France, people gather around the stove, armed with batter and a frying pan, ready to test their flipping prowess.
Families and friends come together, the air filled with the comforting scent of sizzling butter and caramelising sugar.
And while the old superstitions have mostly faded, a few still linger.
Some insist that crêpes should only be eaten after 8 pm on Candlemas, though no one really knows why.
Others believe that if you fail to flip your crêpe properly, bad luck will follow. (No pressure.)
A Few Words of Wisdom from the Past
Like any good seasonal festivity, Candlemas has inspired its fair share of proverbs.
Here are a few that have been passed down through generations:
À la Chandeleur, l’hiver se meurt ou prend vigueur. (At Candlemas, winter dies or gains strength.)
À la Chandeleur, le jour croît d’une heure. (At Candlemas, the day grows by an hour.)
Rosée à la Chandeleur, l’hiver à sa dernière heure. (Dew on Candlemas means winter’s last hour.)
Whether you believe in these old sayings or not, one thing is certain: by early February, the days are getting longer, and spring is just a little closer.
And in the meantime?
There’s always another crêpe to flip.
A Personal Touch: Finding the Perfect Crêpe Recipe
For years, we stuck to a crêpe recipe I inherited from my mother.
It was easy, reliable, and perfectly fine—but nothing extraordinary.
Then, about a year and a half ago, after a trip to Brittany, I started searching for something more authentic, something that truly captured that Breton flair.
And I found it.
The result? A crêpe recipe that is not only delicious but also incredibly easy to make.
If you're curious, I’ve shared it here.
Enjoy, and happy flipping!
Discover More in My eBook: Holidays & Celebrations in France
The subject of holidays and celebrations has always fascinated me, especially the curiosity of uncovering the origins of traditions followed by the French for generations.
If you share this interest, you’ll love my photographic eBook, Holidays & Celebrations in France.
This 288-page book, complete with over 117 stunning illustrations, reveals the secrets behind French celebrations—from the most famous to the lesser-known.
It’s a cultural journey into French customs and traditions that will satisfy the curious and delight lovers of France.
Inside, you’ll find rich stories and insights on many feasts and celebrations, including:
New Year’s Day
Epiphany
Candlemas
Valentine’s Day
Shrove Tuesday
April Fool’s Day
Easter
Ascension Day
May Day
and many more!
Whether you’re curious about the traditions or simply enjoy the beauty of French culture, this book offers a window into the celebrations that define the French calendar.
I invite you to explore this festive journey and keep the joy of French traditions alive in your heart:
I invite you to explore this festive journey and keep the joy of French traditions alive in your heart: