A ''réveillon'' () is a long dinner held in the evening preceding

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

and New Year's Eve. Its name descends from the word ''réveil'' (meaning "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until morning, as the meal finishes. The practice is observed in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, in the Canadian provinces of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, the city of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, and some other French-speaking places. In Portuguese-speaking countries, it is also a designation for the party preceding New Year's Day. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the ''réveillon'' tradition is still observed in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

due to the city's strong French-Creole heritage, with a number of the city's restaurants offering special ''réveillon'' menus on Christmas Eve. It is also observed by many Franco-American families throughout

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

. The term is first documented in 18th-century France, and was used by the French as a name for the night-long party dinners held by the nobility. Eventually the word began to be used by other courts (amongst them the Portuguese courts) and after the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

it was adopted as a definition of the New Year's Eve.

Food

The food consumed at ''réveillons'' is generally exceptional or luxurious. For example, appetizers may include lobster,

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...

s, escargots or

foie gras Foie gras (, ; ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a duck or goose. According to French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by gavage (force feeding). Foie gras is a popular and well-known delica ...

, etc. One traditional dish is

turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

with chestnuts. Réveillons in

will often include some variety of

tourtière Tourtière (, ) is a French Canadian meat pie dish originating from the province of Quebec, usually made with minced pork, veal or beef and potatoes. Wild game is sometimes used. It is a traditional part of the Christmas ''réveillon'' and New ...

. Dessert may consist of a

Yule log The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America. The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Like other traditions associated wit ...

, known as a ''bûche de Noël''. In

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

, the tradition of the

thirteen desserts The thirteen desserts ( Occitan: ''lei tretze dessèrts'') are the traditional dessert foods used in celebrating Christmas in the French region of Provence. The "big supper" (''le gros souper'') ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus ...

is followed: 13 desserts are served, almost invariably including ''pompe à l'huile'' (a flavoured bread),

date Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner ** Group dating *Play date, a ...

s, etc. Quality wine is usually consumed at such dinners, often with

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

or similar sparkling wines as a conclusion.

Differences

There are certain traditional differences of character between the Christmas and New Year's Day ''réveillons''. Christmas is traditionally a Christian occasion, celebrated within the family, and this family character is retained even among non-believers. The New Year's Eve, or ''Saint-Sylvestre'', ''réveillon'', on the other hand, is commonly a party with friends, etc. People may also go out to a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

show, or watch live relays of such shows on television.

Name in others countries

* In Italy, it is called ''Cenone di Natale'' for Christmas and ''Cenone di Capodanno'' for New Year. * In Poland, it is called '' Wigilia'' for Christmas. *In Portugal and Brazil, it is called ''Ceia de Natal'' for Christmas, and ''Ceia de Ano Novo'' for New Year. Additionally, the word réveillon (alternatively called "virada do ano") refers nationally to the New Year's Eve. *In Lithuania, it is called "Kūčios" for Christmas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reveillon French cuisine Cuisine of Quebec Christmas meals and feasts Winter traditions Canadian traditions French Canadian culture Christmas in Canada

Food

Differences

Name in others countries

See also

References