Villedieu, Provence
Christmas in Provence
Tel: +33 4 90 28 07 75
Christmas in Provence is a very special time. Officially starting on 4th December, St Barbes Day, and running through to Candlemas day on 2nd February, it is a rich and exciting time full of tradition, festivities and customs.
On St Barbes Day children plant wheat germ on saucers of damp cotton wool. Tradition has it that if the wheat grows straight and green then the following year will be prosperous. The saucers of wheat are then placed in the family crib.
The Christmas crib is made using "Santons", traditional handmade clay figures representing the inhabitants of the village as well as Joseph, Mary, Jesus etc. Special Santon shops can be found locally in Vaison-la-Romaine and Seguret.
Local Christmas Markets start at the begining of December selling seasonal arts & crafts alongside the traditional Provencal gifts - all washed down with some hot chesnuts and a warm glass of mulled wine & cinnamon..!
Don't miss the open air Christmas Market at the Place de L'Horlage in Avignon. Local artisans display their Christmas decorations and gift ideas from around 50 wooden chalets in the square. There's a great atmosphere during the day and it's magical at night.
Midnight mass can be celebrated in one of the local churches or at the cathedral in Vaison. And whilst it doesn't happen every year, we do occasionally get some snow ....!
Le Clos des Pins is available throughout the year and if you book it over the Christmas period we will decorate the lounge with lights and decorations including a real Christmas tree.
All the traditional Christmas fare of turkey, goose, foie gras, oysters and of course the "13 desserts" are available locally (no English Christmas pudding or custard though so you'll need to bring these with you..!)
And we understand that Christmas Day doesn't always fall nicely in the middle of the week so we can be very flexible with regards to Christmas bookings.
Whilst our minimum booking over Christmas or New Year is 1 week we will happily accept bookings longer than this and simply charge you pro rata for additional days. Please just call or email us to discuss.
