Candlemas (French: La Chandeleur) is celebrated in Church on the 2nd of February. It is considered the day of crêpes (pancakes). A tradition that is attributed to Pope Gelasius I, who had pancakes distributed to pilgrims arriving in Rome (who does not like pancakes?).
In France, there are a number of traditions around Chandeleur. Some say to celebrate Chandeleur, you need to light all the candles around a house (or if we are lucky to not have load-shedding, all the lights on, but candles are more romantic). Traditionally, all the manger scenes that you put up for Christmas should be left until Chandeleur.
The crêpes, which are usually of a round, and of a nice golden colour, if you managed not to burn any, are symbolic of the sun, and refer to the return of spring and harvest.
Another tradition from the late fifth century and linked to a fertility rite is to flip the crêpes in the air with the right hand while holding a gold coin (such as a Louis d’or) or some other coin in the left hand, in order to have prosperity throughout the year. This supposedly has to be done in one shot, and the pancake must land back in the pan, otherwise you have to try again and again (one-handed pancake flipping is quite a task!).
Easy Crêpe Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
- Step 1 Mix all the ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, and butter until smooth. Leave for 30 minutes; stir again for a few seconds before using.
- Step 2 Heat an non-stick pan over medium. Lightly coat with butter. Quickly pour 1/4 cup batter into centre of pan, tilting and swirling pan until batter evenly coats bottom (for a real French crêpe, try to get the batter as thin as possible). Cook until crepe is golden in places on bottom and edges begin to lift from pan. Lift it a little a spatula and then try to flip it. Cook on second side until golden, about 45 seconds. Slide crepe onto a plate.
We hope you enjoy Chandeleur, and have fun making crêpes!
