France has a holiday devoted to the eating of crepes and it's today.
"Every year on February 2, France observes La Chandeleur, a.k.a. Candlemas, a.k.a. a day dedicated to eating crêpes. The Catholic religious holiday is exactly 40 days after Christmas, but it also has origins in an older pre-Christian holiday celebrating the harvest and marking the midway point of winter," writes Lilit Marcus in Conde Nast Traveler.
The holiday is also associated with superstition.
"Depending what part of the country you're in, some people put a coin on top of the crepe during the cooking process for luck, while others believe that you have to hold a coin in your right hand while flipping over the crêpes with your left-if you can do it without dropping any on the floor, you'll be prosperous in the year to come," says Marcus.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Fast Food Travel: Visiting The Originals [/READMORE]
It can also signal the sign of a short or long winter.
"And just like how Groundhog Day has weather-related implications depending on whether or not said groundhog sees his shadow, the French believe that rain on La Chandeleur will mean 40 more days of showers while a clear and sunny day means winter is almost over," says Marcus.
For more on celebrating the holiday, read on here.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
